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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751550">Silver Prince, White Defender</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinTides/pseuds/MerlinTides'>MerlinTides</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dehumanization, Eventual Romance, Minor Character Death, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Other, Suicidal Thoughts, except the radiance she gets dunked on, shitty parenting, the vessel becomes a prince au, the vessel will be an adult long before they start dating ogrim dont worry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:14:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinTides/pseuds/MerlinTides</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Pale King realizes that his perfect Vessel has been tainted, he seeks a new way to stop the infection ravaging Hallownest. In doing so, he opens up a world of possibilities for the Vessel, who now has to learn to be a (mostly) normal bug.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ogrim | Dung Defender/The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel, Traitor Lord's Daughter/Ze'mer | Grey Mourner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>163</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>At the start of this fic, Ogrim is roughly 18 (in bug years) and is early in his career as a knight. The Vessel starts out as being roughly 15 mentally, and the two will not get together until years after the Vessel has become an adult. Therefore, romance will start for them in later chapters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Pale King paced in his workshop, kicking aside the scattered pieces of artificial shell that he had tossed to the floor. He had gotten everything ready to seal away the Vessel, the egg that would be its tomb had been constructed, the dreamers had been bound by contract, ready to begin their eternal sleep at his word. All that had to be done was to allow the Vessel to grow to its full size, but he himself had ruined things with a single, simple gesture. He had made the grave mistake of showing the tiniest sliver of affection for his creation, and the Vessel had been tainted, given the idea that it was cared for. The worst part was that it was right. The King really did care, as much as he had tried to deny it to himself. And now, he knew that he could sacrifice his only remaining child, and eventually his kingdom, by continuing with a plan doomed to fail, or he could try to think of a new strategy. It was far too late to start over, he couldn't bear the thought of sending more of his own progeny to die in the Abyss below, and he knew that his White Lady would never agree.</p>
<p>There was, of course, another way—but he wasn't sure if he could manage it. He could take her on, himself, and make an attempt on her life. The dreambound goddess that was leaking her infection into his kingdom… The only way to stop her, save for sealing her away, was to cut her down.</p>
<p>Yes, that was what he would do. He would have his Queen lend him some of her immense power; he would venture his cast-off shell, where his strongest magic resided, uncontainable in his smaller form. There he would enter the dream realm, and he would either return triumphant and free his people, or he would die trying. Either way, he would not have to bear the indignity of seeing his kingdom fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I took a few liberties with Ze'mer's speech patterns, notes at the end of the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The castle was busy that morning. The Vessel had spent the night training alone, as it didn't require sleep. But instead of the King and his knights coming in to test its skills as they always did at this hour, their voices instead could be heard mixed with some unusual commotion in the halls. It could hear the King arguing with one of the royal retainers—or several of them; it had difficulty telling them apart—and the voices of the Knights could be heard squabbling with the King, the retainers, and each other as well. 
</p><p>As the noise drew closer, it picked up its nail again. It began its drills for what felt like the millionth time just as the doors to the training hall swung open. 
"For the last time," the Pale King growled, "I will not be needing any additional protection for this outing. A convoy of kingsmoulds will be enough." He turned his attention to the Vessel, who had paused mid-lunge at the sound of the harsher-than-normal tone of its father's voice.
</p><p>"Vessel. You are to train with the Knights for today, and then you are to rest until my return. Do as they say in my absence." 
It nodded once in agreement, and the King stared at it for a moment, just a second longer than he meant to, before turning to leave. The retainers scurried off after him, begging him to rethink his decision, leaving the Vessel and the Knights alone in the training hall.
</p><p>"What has gotten into him? He acts as though he's going to war!" Isma remarked. 
</p><p>"If it were war, we would be the ones going out there, not him," Hegemol added, folding his arms. "Perhaps a diplomatic meeting of some sort? He could be trying to extend into Hive territory."
</p><p>"With the kingdom in this state? That would be foolish. I cannot imagine our King doing such a thing."
</p><p>The Vessel stood, staring straight forward, and listened. It had been ordered to train, but the Knights seemed too agitated to comply. Finally, Ogrim shook his head and stepped in front of the Vessel, ready to spar.
</p><p>"We simply have to trust in him," he sighed. "If he needs to handle this alone, we have to trust that he will return to us soon. Besides, we have our orders!"
</p><p>With that, he surged forward, his nail-like arms clashing roughly with the Vessel's nail as it blocked his blow. It followed its training to a T, taking on each of the knights, who each joined in turn. Soon, it fought against all of them at once, just as they were always instructed to by the King when he spectated their sessions.
</p><p>Eventually, the Vessel was cornered and the sparring session ended. This was, again, how things normally went. But the King's empty seat soon bore a hole into the Vessel's thoughts, as much as it tried to avoid thinking at all. After being defeated in a sparring match, it would always be judged by the King, given drills to work on, and a Knight would be assigned to challenge it alone later in the day. The drills would then be refined, and—after a short period of rest to repair any damages from the day's training—it would be sent back to the training hall to work on drills through the night. Without the King there to judge its skills, the hall was now eerily silent.
</p><p>"Well! It certainly is improving!" Ogrim laughed.
</p><p>The comment made it feel something, almost, but the Vessel swallowed the thought down again. It should not think, feel, or be felt for, it reminded itself. There was no reason to.
</p><p>"I'm going to see if I can catch up with him, now that we've finished," Dryya said, stretching. “He can’t be upset with me if I did as he asked, right?” 
</p><p>As she left, the Vessel stood stock still, facing forward, and trying not to let its mind wander any further. The Knights remaining sat down to rest, with Isma pulling out a bottle of some sort, offering drinks to her fellows. The Vessel tried not to stare at them, but it couldn't help but be curious about the lives of normal bugs.
</p><p>Ogrim and Hegemol each took a cup of the beverage Isma had offered, but when she turned to Ze'mer, the strange knight shook her head.
</p><p>"Ah, Che' feels no thirst. Overcome with worry, Che' is." 
</p><p>"For the King?" Hegemol asked quietly. "There is no reason to fear. He will return to us, just as Ogrim said."
</p><p>"Nay, it is the letter Che' sent to her love. Fearful, Che' is, that the message has not arrived. Her kin, so violent to others..." Ze'mer's antennae wilted slightly.
</p><p>“I'm sure you'll get a message to her eventually." Hegemol gave her a reassuring pat. "You can always write another one, and we shall send along the brave convoy of kingsmoulds our King chose as his protection!" That earned a laugh from the other three, and Ze'mer's antennae stood back up to their usual position. 
</p><p>Soon, Dryya returned, bringing with her two writing stones tucked under her arm. 
</p><p>"Mail call," she said, bringing the first stone out to read. "We have instructions from the King. He's already left, and the Queen is confined to her gardens for the time being. He says to continue to spar with the Vessel daily, but other than that, to let it rest. Our other duties around the palace are to be attended to as normal, until either he or the Queen return."
</p><p>"Does he say when that will be?" asked Ogrim. 
</p><p>Dryya shook her head. "That is all the letter says.” She handed it to Ogrim to let him take a look. “And the other message," she continued, turning her attention to the second stone, "is for Ze'mer, straight from the Mantis stronghold."
The cloaked knight cried out, rising to her feet to take the letter from Dryya. She began to read the stone to herself immediately, before clutching it to her chest. 
</p><p>"Such joy, te'mer brings! Aah, Che' can almost hear her love speak as she reads..." Ze'mer's cloak swished as she glided across the floor, her strange form almost dancing in a wide loop before she bid her comrades farewell, eager to write a letter in response.
</p><p>"I suppose that means we can all take a rest," Ogrim spoke next, rising to his feet. He offered a hand to Isma to help her up as well. "And that includes the Vessel."
It had heard him, but it didn't move at all. It knew that it wasn't supposed to unless given instructions.
</p><p>Ogrim cocked his head to the side. "Er..?"
</p><p>"Allow me," Dryya sighed, turning her attention toward it. "Under orders from the King, you are to rest until tomorrow morning, at which time we will spar again. Dismissed." 
</p><p>With a nod, it turned to walk out into the hall, to find a place to sit silently, unthinking, to practice for the fate the King had created it for.
</p><p>---
</p><p>Perhaps this spot had not been a good choice.
A secluded balcony overlooking the courtyard below seemed perfect at first glance, until the memory of what had happened here crept into the Vessel's thoughts. 
Do not think, it reminded itself, doing its best to stare off into the bright white of the palace courtyard. Do not speak. Do not hope. It repeated that phrase in its mind, an effort to remove the thoughts and memories that crept in. That was what it always did when left alone. But now, with no drills to do, its secret fantasy of staying here in the palace forever found it easier to seep through the cracks.
</p><p>It knew it wasn't supposed to think, and for a time, it hadn't. Thoughts only began to emerge once the Pale King had shown that tiniest, most miniscule hint of affection toward it, here on the balcony. At that instant, it had begun to feel something, a sort of small warmth deep within the cold, unending void within, and what’s worse was that it had forgotten itself for a moment, and returned the gesture.  
</p><p>It knew, deep down, that it would never be truly empty ever again. It was too late. But still, it had to try. It would hurt the King if it didn't try, right? But the want to please its father was a thought, an emotion, and that too was not allowed. 
It should not have looked back at the Pale King that day. It should have stayed, motionless, an object, as perfectly mindless and obedient as the kingsmoulds. But now, it would not be able to seal the infection. It would not be pure and hollow, as it had been promised to be. Its father would be upset, lose his kingdom, and it would be at fault. It could not stop the thoughts, the feelings. Not unless...
</p><p>The Vessel looked down into the courtyard below. There were rooftops lined with spikes, and the fall below was steep. Perhaps, if it looked like an accident, its father could simply create a new Vessel? Perhaps if it just stepped off the ledge, it could end the noise inside its head that it was never made to contain?
</p><p>Slowly, it lifted one leg from the cold stone floor. It was shaking like a leaf, now. If it couldn't do what it was made for, then it should not exist, right? 
</p><p>A sudden shout from the hall made it startle, stumbling backwards from the ledge. It sounded like one of the retainers, and it was followed by the voices of a few others. The Vessel rose again to its feet, moving toward the doorway to peek outside.
</p><p>Two retainers stood, one holding the other up, as several others hurried toward them from farther down the hall. When the one turned, the Vessel could see that his eyes were clouding over with a sickly orange tone. Infection.
The other retainer shook her friend, trying desperately to rouse him as the others crowded around. It wasn't working. They all exchanged murmurs and worried looks, before escorting their infected cohort down the hallway. He would have to be imprisoned or killed, now. He would turn violent otherwise, just like the rest. 
</p><p>On the way past, the retainer who had discovered her infected friend looked over toward the Vessel, meeting its eyes for a moment. Her expression seemed to plead for its aid, and it couldn't help but imagine the same pain on its father's face.
It watched them pass, before retreating back into the room, leaning up against one of the plants in the corner.
</p><p>The Vessel sat there for what felt like an eternity, its head rested against its knees, listening to the goings on in the palace. The sounds of the retainers scurrying around, gossiping to one another, helped to keep its mind blank. It wondered for a moment if it would be able to hear the outside world from the place where it was to be sealed.
</p><p>Eventually the palace quieted, save for the sound of the footsteps of the kingsmoulds that patrolled as guards, signalling the end of the day. Perhaps now would be a good time to move to the training hall, to wait for morning training. It set off, resisting the urge to explore more of the silent palace, to the training hall.
</p><p>Yes, it would wait for the King to return and let him decide its fate. It was not to make decisions of its own, after all.
</p><p>---
</p><p>
  <i>He was almost there, now. The ash raining from above made it hard to see where he was going, but the pull of his old shell guided him through. He silently cursed himself for how accustomed he had become to the lavish life he had been leading in his palace. It had made him soft. A journey that had once been fast and easy was now worryingly taxing, and the kingsmoulds at his side had began to falter. He hoped silently that his Queen was preparing for her part as well, reaching one of her grand roots across the kingdom to meet him at his shell. He would need her strength in order to be able to stand at all against the Radiance.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In this work, Ze'mer's native language heavily uses different honorifics and word forms to denote the speaker's relationship with the listener(s). In canon, Ze'mer uses "le'mer" to refer to the player, which one can assume means "you", but that form of the word would be used to refer to a stranger. I've changed that to "te'mer" here when she speaks to Dryya, who she considers a close friend.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Vessel ponders what life is like for a normal bug, and decides to try something new.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The days dragged on for the Vessel while the King was gone. It tried its best to keep its mind blank while not training, but it was finding that to be increasingly difficult. Instead, it had begun to follow others around the palace as they went about their daily lives. Usually, the retainers didn't notice this at all, and the kingsmoulds weren't exactly sapient, so they didn't have the capacity to care. It envied them a little. The most interesting, though, was following the Knights. Ze'mer spent much of her time in her room, which the Vessel dared not enter, but it could often hear her singing to herself from the hall. It couldn't understand her words, as she sang in a language that it supposed must be her native tongue, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
</p>
<p>Dryya was also difficult to follow and observe, as she usually noticed the Vessel. It wasn't sure how, but she always seemed acutely aware of its near-inaudible footsteps whenever it was near. Hegemol, on the other hand, was rather oblivious. He hummed to himself often, and was usually found visiting the kitchen to sneak extra food, or drinking something in the evenings that made him seem off-balance, somehow. He would often drink the whatever-it-was with Isma (when she wasn't tending to her garden), and always offered some to Ogrim, too, who always refused. Perhaps he didn't like the taste? The Vessel wasn't clear on how tasting worked, nor did it understand how a drink could make a bug clumsy.
</p>
<p>Eventually, following the Knights grew to be frustrating. It couldn't ask about the strange drink, or the room they all went to after training, from which they all came out damp and seemingly fully refreshed. It found itself growing more and more curious with each passing day, and it knew that these things, and the curiosity it had surrounding them, were beyond what it was allowed to have. It was caught in a loop, now. It would try to distract itself from thinking or feeling, grow curious and jealous, then angry at itself for feeling, and then it would jump back into distraction mode, and the cycle would repeat.
</p>
<p>Finally, it had had enough. It just wanted things to be quiet in its head. And so, it decided to try something different. Tonight, it would try to sleep. Sleeping wasn’t necessary for the Vessel, but it figured that if it was capable, sleep might be the escape that it needed. It had been watching a retainer that day, and the bug had retreated to her bunk for a nap. Apparently, all one had to do was lay down somewhere comfortable, and not move. Surely this was restful somehow, or else bugs wouldn’t do it, right? And if they were present and aware of their thoughts and the outside world while asleep, then why did some bugs require loud noises or physical touch in order to wake? 
</p>
<p>When the sounds of the palace died off for the night, the Vessel made its way out to the garden. It remembered Ogrim likening one of Isma's plants to a soft pillow, which was what bugs used for sleeping, right? It wasn't sure if a real pillow was necessary, and it wasn't even sure where to find one, so this would have to do. It laid down on its back, with its head against the pillow-moss, and did its best to relax. It was comfortable, but something was still missing. It pulled its cloak tighter around its body, and that helped, but it was still not quite right. It thought back to the sleeping retainer from before: she had laid down, gotten comfortable, and then... closed her eyes. That was likely the missing piece, but the Vessel’s eyes could not close. Instead, it tried rolling onto its side, pulling its cloak up over its face to block the light from its vision. That felt much more comfortable, and soon, all of the weariness it had felt from the day seemed to melt into the blackness. 
</p>
<p>---
</p>
<p>
  <i>Once he reached his discarded shell and climbed back inside, the Pale King immediately set to work. His physical body simply had to be touching the White Lady's root, which she had extended out across the kingdom at his request, and then he could sleep. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>As he attuned himself to both the power that had lay dormant in this shell, and the powers of his Queen, he shut out the outside world and began to let himself dream. In his dreams, he was not in fact restored to his former size as he had hoped. Still, he called out to his foe. Soon, his dreams began to flood with the sickly-sweet smell of infection, accompanied by the blazing heat of her presence.
</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The Radiance.</i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when the Vessel awoke, it was laying on cold stone. It stood, panicked, as it took in its surroundings. Stone platforms were speckled throughout soft clouds, with what appeared to be a sheer drop below. It assumed that this was a dream, as it had overheard bugs talk about seeing strange places and things that made little sense while dreaming. The King, too, had told it about dreams: that if a bug dreamed too much and too often, the infection would begin to take hold of them. The thought of that scared it, and it spun around, in search of some sort of exit. If it were to become infected, then the plan would surely fall apart. In its worry, it thought about its father, and its mind began to reel with thoughts about what was going to happen to it when he returned. This had been a selfish idea, to try to sleep. If it had been supposed to do so, it would have been created to require sleep. And now, it was going to become infected, the kingdom would fall, and the King would...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The King.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow the Vessel could feel his presence, now. Out of the corner of its vision, it saw a flash of familiar light, followed by another, different glow. Something wasn't right about the second light. It wasn't pure white, like its father's, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span> somehow. Turning its attention to the lights, which continued to lurch and flicker, it could see in the distance the large, angry figure of a strange bug. The sight of her made something deep within the Vessel churn, and it instinctively reached for its nail. It hadn't fallen asleep with its weapon near, but somehow, its nail was now by its side. To its left, it noticed a root which also had not been there before. It looked exactly like one of the Queen's. It stretched out, toward the strange bug, and at the very tip of its far end the Vessel could now see the Pale King.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without thinking, it surged forward, using the stone platforms and the root to cross the vast expanse between it and the battle in the distance. It lept, nail drawn, toward the face of the bug attacking the King, and struck her eye. The bug had been too distracted by attacking the King to notice the Vessel's approach, but now it found itself being struck by one of the large bug's appendages. The impact flung it backward, cracking its shell, and the void within it lashed out in one last attempt to aid its father before the Vessel fell downward through the clouds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The impact it had been braced for never came, and instead the Vessel awoke with a start, back in the garden where it had fallen asleep. It reached up to touch its face and found no crack where it had been hit by the large bug, no angry void lashing out from within it. Had it been in control of that darkness? It couldn't remember, and it didn't want to. Before it could question more about the nature of its dream, a pair of limbs hoisted it up suddenly from behind. It recognized the hard, unjointed tarsi before the bug even spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I found it!" Ogrim called out, turning the Vessel around to face him. "Thought you could skip out on morning training, eh? Not on my watch! Don't forget, we Knights are in charge of you while our King is away."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel was then tucked safely under Ogrim's arm, as he set off toward the training hall. It seemed the Vessel had overslept, even though its dream had only felt like a few moments.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It was in Isma's garden," Ogrim said as he entered the hall. The other Knights had already gathered, and the Vessel was placed gently onto the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Training that day felt more like a chore than an escape, for the Vessel. It didn't help that the Knights noticed a marked decrease in its effort and made the decision to extend the session. When they finally finished, the Knights headed off to one of the many rooms the Vessel wasn't allowed into, leaving it alone and unusually exhausted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It sat in the hall for a while, its mind unusually silent, until commotion from outside the hall caught its attention. Peeking out into the corridor, a gaggle of retainers were rushing past, chattering excitedly. It slipped out into the hallway to follow them, as they made their way down into the palace's dungeon, where the infected retainer from the other day was being held. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was still behind bars, but he seemed to be fully conscious now, and greeted his friends as they gathered around the door to his cell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It was enormous, with piercing yellow eyes and long, sharp legs that came to a point below it," began the imprisoned retainer. "The main part of its body looked soft and furry, it had wings, and a crown-like head, similar to that of our King. It radiated light, as well, but searing hot and painful. I could taste it in my mouth, somehow."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the Vessel listened, the image of the bug it had fought in its dream came back to it. It fit the retainer's description perfectly, and this was confirmation enough for the Vessel that it had, indeed, met the source of the infection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The terror of this realization shook it to its core. It listened more intently, now, to the retainer's story.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I remember hazy dreams, but not much detail. And then, I saw a light, much like that of our glorious King, and I awoke! Does this mean that he has returned to us? Does he bring with him a cure?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We have received no word from him," another replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps he has found a cure on his travels?" Suggested a third.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel wished, harder than it ever had, that it could speak. It wanted to tell the bugs of its dream, what it had seen, and how it knew that the King had indeed found a way to stop the infection. Instead, it turned and ran, unable to contain its anxious excitement any longer. If the infection had ceased, then maybe…?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It chided itself once again for hoping for something that it could never have, but it could do nothing to stop the swirling emotions within itself. Now, all it wanted to do was perch by the palace entrance to wait for its father's return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As it approached the palace entrance, a booming voice the Vessel did not recognize stopped it in its tracks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean</span>
  </em>
  <span> he isn't here?!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Peering around a corner, it saw a large, rotund bug with a wide face and two short horns atop his head, looming over a frightened retainer. The bug was somehow floating a ways off the ground, despite a marked lack of wings on his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We at the Soul Sanctum have finally discovered a cure for this blasted plague, and the King is nowhere to be found? I demand to know where he is!" The bug bellowed, his cloak flaring up threateningly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The retainer, doing her best to hide the terror in her voice, did her best to explain that nobody, save for maybe the Queen, had been told where the King had gone or when he would return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are more than welcome to stay as our guest until he arriv-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bah!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I haven't time to wait!" The large bug interrupted. A ball of crackling light appeared above the retainer's head, dissipating to reveal a writing-stone which fell into the retainer's hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Give him this message immediately upon his return. We still have much to do in order to refine our cure," he huffed, before disappearing in another, larger flash of the same light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he was gone, two more retainers exited their apparent hiding spot in a room across the hall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That Soul Master," said the first, clearly relieved that he was gone, "Always throwing his weight around! So rude."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"If the King were here, he would not have been so uncouth," replied the second, shaking their head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Reports are coming in from all over the kingdom, now, saying that infected bugs are returning to consciousness," added the third, gesturing excitedly. "Perhaps this means our King will be home, soon!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three continued their conversation as they carried on down the hallway, leaving the Vessel alone once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the rest of the day and into the following afternoon, the Vessel stood, motionless, on the walkway above the palace entrance. It stared out the window into the relative darkness outside, waiting. Save for its morning training, it did nothing but wait and stare. It made a game with itself, guessing how many messengers would come and go, bringing news from all over Hallownest of strange happenings with infected bugs. The retainers, nosy bugs that they were, all seemed to have heard tell of a message's contents within an hour of its arrival. It overheard their gossip, mostly talk of bugs suddenly becoming healthy again, of brief reinfections that lasted only a few moments. By evening, the messages had slowed, and news of reinfections had become nonexistent. It sounded, to the Vessel, like the King had won.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning, it left its post to train with the Knights. After only having time to spar with three of the five, the session was interrupted by a winded retainer slamming the training hall doors open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The King," she panted, "The King returns!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Knights looked at the retainer, and then at each other, before rushing toward the door. The Vessel followed, and the group arrived at the main hall just as the King stepped inside. Nearly every retainer in the castle was there already, bowing deeply. The Knights each took a knee as soon as they came to a stop, leaving only the Vessel and the King still standing straight. All was silent for what felt like an eternity as they stared at each other, before the King simply continued on down the hallway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Carry on," he ordered bluntly. "I require rest after my journey. Do not disturb me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked over his shoulder at the Vessel, then, and gestured for it to follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It obeyed and began to follow him into one of the basement floors of the castle.The excitement the Vessel had felt for the King’s return had begun to spiral into anxiety. The King didn't say a word to it, which didn't help the Vessel feel any more comfortable. Soon, they arrived at their destination: the King's workshop. The Vessel had only been here once before, when it had been brand new. It had been brought here upon its selection for a series of tests to determine its purity. Now, knowing full well that it was no longer pure, it felt sick at the sight of the place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still silent, the King lifted it up, placing it on a workbench among pieces of wingmould shell that were unceremoniously shoved aside. He stared at it for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are to answer the following questions truthfully, and that is an order. Is that understood?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you sleep?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It nodded again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you dream?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you attack her?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It supposed "her" meant the infection-bug, and it nodded again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you think for yourself?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pause, and then a nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you feel emotion?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It nodded, beginning to shake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King sighed, reaching up to rub his temples.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I knew it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reached for a rope hanging from the ceiling and tugged it, and a series of gears could be heard turning quietly in the wall. He reached for a writing-stone, quickly scrawling a message that the Vessel couldn’t read. A retainer, summoned by whatever mechanism the rope-pull had triggered, soon appeared in the doorway, and the King handed them the stone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bring that to Ze'mer immediately," he ordered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The retainer gave a quick bow before scampering off into the halls again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As for you," the King turned his attention to the Vessel, "retrieve your nail and wait for Ze'mer at the palace entrance. Do as she says until you reach your destination."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel nodded, still afraid and confused, and took off toward the training hall where it had left its nail.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter has not been beta-read, please excuse any small grammatical issues I may have missed.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After only a few moments of waiting at the palace entrance, the Vessel spotted Ze'mer rushing down the hall toward it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Vessel, nym'King has put you in Che's care. We shall be travelling. Come along," she said, barely stopping on her way out the door. She seemed agitated, her antennae standing tall as she rushed by.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel paused for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It hadn't left the palace since it was brought from the Abyss, and it hadn't thought it would leave until it was time for it to be sealed. Where was it being taken, and why was it to bring its nail? Confused, it followed, running a little to catch up to Ze'mer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She led the way in the opposite direction from the Abyss. It was a relief for the Vessel to know it wouldn't be thrown back down into the void-laden depths just yet, but it was still nervous about not knowing where it was being taken. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, they entered a large area, bisected by a deep groove in the floor which led into a dark tunnel in both directions. On the far side was a simple iron bench, and on the side where the Vessel stood, there was a small bell. There were signs posted, too, which the Vessel could not read. It recognized one symbol as resembling the outside of the palace, but the text below the image was a mystery to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Ze'mer stepped forward to ring the bell, sighing to herself. Her antennae folded back, which the Vessel had learned was a sign of displeasure, as a thundering sound began to echo through the tunnel to their left. The source of the noise soon came into view: a large bug, which appeared to use all six of its limbs for running. On its back sat a saddle of sorts, with two rows of cushioned, bench-like seats. It turned its head to face them, swinging its impressive horn in a wide arch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Where to?" the bug grunted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The gardens of our Queen," Ze'mer lifted the Vessel into the front seat before hoisting herself up to sit beside it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bug gave a quick nod and tensed its legs before springing forward, taking off running into the tunnels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel clung tightly to the armrest of the seat, fearing it would be tossed off at any moment, into the dark tunnel. Every few seconds, they would whiz past a small lumafly lantern which cast just enough light for the Vessel to make out Ze'mer's shape in the darkness. The footfalls of the massive bug pounded loudly in its head, but the ringing of a distant bell cut above the din. The bug skidded to a stop at what appeared to be a crossroads in the tunnel a split second before another, near-identical bug came sprinting down the tunnel in front of them. Then they were off again, back up to full speed in a matter of seconds. Soon, the Vessel could see light ahead. It felt Ze'mer breathe a quiet sigh of relief as the bug skidded to a stop in a bright room, similar to the one they had started in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they came to a full stop, Ze'mer stepped gracefully down onto the platform, the Vessel following along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The transit beasts do not make for a pleasant ride," she sighed, as soon as the large bug was out of earshot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Compared to the palace, this room was incredibly small. The ceilings were much lower than the Vessel was used to, and it felt almost claustrophobic in the space. It followed quickly at Ze'mer's heels as she stepped out of the building, into a wide area filled with lush, green plants the likes of which it had never seen before. It looked around in wonder at the verdant scenery for a moment, before running to catch up to Ze'mer, who hadn't stopped moving. She had, in fact, sped up, her antennae standing tall and alert.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two were moving faster now, with Ze'mer leading the way through thick, thorny vines and undergrowth. The Vessel did its best to keep up, but Ze'mer clearly knew this area well, and she seemed to be in a hurry. She moved quietly yet swiftly, as if prepared for an ambush at any moment. Soon, they reached a wide metal gate. Ze'mer looked around for a moment, before turning to open the gate and hurriedly ushered the Vessel inside. This area was just as green as the rest of this place, but in the center sat a large, bright white figure on a large stone bench. The Vessel recognized her immediately—it was the Queen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Queen's branches swayed slightly as she turned around, and Ze'mer dropped silently onto one knee. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you, Ze'mer," The Queen said, her voice soft and calm. It seemed as though she had been expecting them. "Leave the Vessel with me. I know that your lover resides here, you may seek her out if you wish."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ze'mer rose to her feet and bowed in thanks, before turning to leave through the gate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come here," the Queen said, one of her branches reaching out slowly toward the Vessel. It obeyed, slowly coming closer, and it was gently herded up onto its mother's lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Still so small... Ah, but its newfound feelings will be easier to contain as it grows," she tilted her head up to stare into the greenery. "My beloved Wyrm and I, we saw it in our dream. Perhaps the time has come to refer to 'it' as a 'you' instead?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel thought for a moment. It had always been called an 'it', like an object, because that was what it had been up until now. The thought of being a person, not a thing, seemed daunting. But, at the same time, that was what it had always secretly wished it could hope for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked up at her and nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"An heir, then, perhaps, to keep Hallownest strong and eternal, even when my Wyrm and I fade... But in order for that to happen, you must be given a voice."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel perked up at that. A voice would allow it to be able to ask questions, tell stories, make friends… Communication would allow it to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> bug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That would be impossible, now, with how much you’ve grown,” she continued, and sighed softly as she saw the Vessel in her lap wilt. “Ah, but there are more ways than one to have a voice! Writing your words, or even the language of hands. You could be taught quite easily, I believe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Queen called out for a retainer, and one came shuffling quickly out from a path between the bushes. He was clearly puzzled by the presence of the Vessel, but promptly disappeared and returned carrying a parchment and writing quill as soon as the Queen requested them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Using one of her more prehensile branches to write, she began by demonstrating how to write out the alphabet, and the Vessel caught on quickly. Soon, it was able to write “Vessel”, “King”, and “Queen”, as well as the names of all the Knights. Within a few hours, it was able to put together simple sentences. Hallowscript was a simple and phonetic writing system for the most part, which made it easy for the Vessel to get points across; if it had heard a word spoken before, it would be able to write it. Even if it was one of the few words with a non-phonetic spelling, it would still be recognizable to the reader. A large pile of parchment sheets soon accumulated by the Queen’s feet, all of which were covered on both sides with writing practice. Now, though, the Vessel had a question to ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why didn’t King tell me I was coming to see you?” it wrote, holding up the paper for its mother to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He has… A lot on his mind at the moment,” she said gently. “He also needs his rest after the battle with the Radiance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was a word that the Vessel was unfamiliar with. It cocked its head to the side curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The being that caused the infection,” the Queen explained. “You were there in the dream, were you not? You struck her.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the name of that large, feathered bug. The Vessel nodded, and put its quill to the paper again to create a crude sketch of the Radiance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, that is her, but you should not create such images. Tear the paper, it is unwise to keep anything made in her likeness.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel obeyed, ripping the parchment in two before tossing it into the pile of discarded sheets. It wasn’t sure how a simple doodle was ‘unwise’, but it didn’t want to make the Queen upset with it.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pair spent a few more hours together, the Vessel writing its questions out for the Queen to read. She rarely gave a complete answer, however; and the Vessel made a mental note to ask the same questions to either the King or the Knights when it returned home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps the Watcher would be willing to tutor you," the Queen mused. "He could teach you to speak with your hands, how to read and write more complex words. He still owes a debt to dear Wyrm."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel didn't know what she meant by speaking with hands. As far as it knew, hands didn't make any sound. Regardless, it was excited to be able to talk to more bugs, especially the Knights. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"For now, though, perhaps you should explore the gardens. Stay within the gate however, the mantisfolk beyond it are quite hostile."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel nodded and hopped down off of its mother's lap, before pausing to write one more question: "What about Ze'mer?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"She has a strong love for the daughter of the mantis lord. I suspect she has gone to prove herself worthy," the Queen sighed. "If she succeeds, you will return to the palace with them both. If she does not..." she trailed off. "Do not concern yourself with such things. Leave me to rest, for now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vagueness of her response was worrying, but the Vessel had confidence in Ze'mer's abilities. She was the only Knight aside from Dryya that it had never even come close to defeating in a sparring match, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It shuffled off down the path it had seen the retainer from earlier take, stopping to examine the leaves on the bushes once it was out of the Queen's view.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aside from the obvious colour difference, the leaves on these shrubs felt much softer than the ones on the white plants that lined the palace halls. They had what felt like sparse fur on the bottom sides, and the branches and stems had minute thorns that were too small to pierce chitin. They seemed much more alive than the palace's plants, and the vessel could see where new growth was beginning to bud on the tips of the twigs. It wandered along, examining plants as it went, noting a wide array of different leaf shapes and textures. The moss that lined the ground was soft as well, and upon further inspection, the Vessel noticed different patches of moss looked and felt different from each other. Even Isma's garden, which had similar green plants, didn't feel quite like this. The plants in the garden were carefully arranged and maintained; Isma was almost always there in her free time, trimming branches and watering and fertilizing the soil. It hadn't seen any retainers working on the plants here, however. They seemed to be placed almost at random and grew wherever they chose, save for the edges of the pathways, which had been obviously cut clear for easier movement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wandered through the plants for hours, entirely losing track of time in its effort to examine every new type of plant it came across. Eventually, it came to a cliff, which dropped off into a thick thorny bramble below. Beyond that, it could see out beyond the boundaries of what it guessed was mantis territory. The paths there were not as clearly defined, and the broken shells of unfortunate bugs who had wandered too far in could be seen posted up on stakes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Detecting movement in the bushes below, it reached for its nail instinctively. Despite the fact that whatever was moving down there likely could not get past the thorns and up the cliff to reach it, it still felt safer with its weapon in hand. Watching closely, it could see Ze'mer emerge into a clearing with a tall, thin bug walking happily beside her. Behind them, a third bug came rushing out of the bushes. This one was sturdily built, with large horns and tarsi that came to a scythe-like edge. Both Ze'mer and her companion stopped to look at him. Though it couldn't hear well at this distance, it could tell that the large bug wasn't speaking. Instead, he made what sounded like a strange click and hiss, while gesturing with his blade-like arms. The thin bug beside Ze'mer shook her head, making a similar noise, before bowing to the larger one. The two began walking again, leaving the large bug behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thin bug must be Ze'mer's lover, the Vessel supposed. The Queen had said that Ze'mer was in love with the daughter of the mantis lord, so that was likely who the large bug was. It seemed that Ze'mer had proven herself worthy, whatever that entailed, and now the pair would be allowed to be together. The mantis lord looked angry as he watched them go, and the Vessel stared at him until he skulked back into the undergrowth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once all three bugs were out of sight, the Vessel hurried off toward the gate. It was excited to show Ze'mer what it had learned, and curious to meet the bug that she had been willing to risk her life for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it arrived back to where the Queen was seated, it found that Ze'mer had already arrived, and was introducing her mantis lover to the Queen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mantis made a quiet chirp-click and bowed, which Ze'mer translated as being a respectful greeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I am pleased to meet you as well, daughter of the Traitor Lord. We have all heard much about you from our brave Ze'mer," the Queen replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel wondered if it could learn to speak the mantisfolk's language. It didn't sound like words, just strange sounds. It tried to imitate a chirp or a hiss, but nothing came out. It wasn't even sure what part of one's body such a sound came from. When it looked up again, it found the mantis staring at it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, it returns. I was just about to send for you, Vessel," the Queen said, beckoning it over. "Ze'mer has returned with her lover, and I have an urgent message that needs to be sent to my dear Wyrm. The three of you should return to the palace immediately."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She handed a sealed envelope to the Vessel. It had been expecting a writing-stone, but this was easier to carry, at the very least. The message had to be something sensitive and private, to be written and sealed in such a way. It tucked the letter into its cloak and nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do not show your new ability to anyone, Vessel. You may only do so when the King grants you permission."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t too pleased about that, but it nodded again. It had wanted to ask Ze’mer about what had happened, but it would simply have to wait to eavesdrop while she told the story to the other Knights.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, the Queen sent the three off, and Ze'mer led the way back to the room from before. The Vessel was glad it had asked about this earlier: it was called a stagway station; and the large ‘transit beasts’, as Ze'mer called them, were called stags. They served as transportation for the bugs of Hallownest, and their tunnels connected the entire kingdom. The Vessel wondered what other strange places were out there that it had not yet been able to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ze'mer walked proudly now, no longer as cautious as she had been when they had entered the area. The Vessel supposed it was because the mantises knew better than to attack her now. Still, the Vessel stayed close by, nail at the ready, half-listening to Ze'mer's conversation as they walked. It was awfully one-sided, at least to the Vessel, as it was unable to understand any of the sounds the mantis made. It wasn’t even sure what her name was, as Ze’mer had never mentioned it. Did mantises even use names? It wished it could ask.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once at the station, the Vessel found that it could make out some of the words on the signs now. There was a map on the far wall showing various locations, some of which it could read the names of, and a sign that read "Queen's Gardens" posted beside the bench. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ze'mer rang the bell, and the traitor's daughter shrunk in closer to her as the loud rumbling of the stag running toward them echoed through the tunnels. This stag was a different one than the last; it had a longer, shaggier beard, and its saddle’s seats were lined with different material. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel hopped up onto the front seat, as Ze'mer carefully helped her lover up onto the other seat and sat down beside her. Despite the supposed ferocity of the mantis people, Ze’mer seemed to treat her as though she were made of glass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The White Palace, please," she said, and the stag merely grunted and took off sprinting. The Vessel heard a squeak from behind it, followed by Ze'mer speaking softly. It couldn't quite make out what she was saying over the sound of the stag galloping, but it assumed she was reassuring her partner. The stagway could be very scary if one wasn't used to it, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they arrived at the palace station, the Vessel hopped down off of the stag and began to make its way toward the palace. It was eager to begin asking questions to its father, and to deliver the letter from the Queen. Behind it, it heard a bug stumble, and a soft hiss of surprise. It turned to see the traitor's daughter had fallen off of the stag, but before Ze'mer could come to her aid, the mantis started giggling. Her laughter was not unlike the ringing of the stagway bell, but softer. Ze'mer helped her up, chuckling as well, and planted a kiss on her cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a good thing that the pair could finally be together, so why did the feeling welling up inside the Vessel feel so sour? It couldn’t help wanting what they had, wanting someone to treat it gently out of love, instead of treating it gently to keep it hollow. It did its best to ignore the couple as they walked behind it toward the palace, and once inside, it made a beeline for the King's workshop, eager to forget the nasty feeling within itself.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As the Vessel reached the workshop door, a voice from within made it jump slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come in, Vessel," it heard the King say. It wasn't sure how he had known it was there, but it entered anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Your footfalls aren't as quiet as they were when you were made. You're getting heavier," the King continued, not even looking up from the piles of notes scattered across his desk. "That means it's almost time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel had an idea as to what he meant, and the notion made it feel sick. It sounded like it was almost time for it to molt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It recalled the King discussing molting with Monomon, who had come to document everything she could about the Vessel before it was time for her to begin her sleep as a Dreamer. Normal bugs would molt multiple times as they grew to adulthood, an incremental process that was safe and easy for most. For the Vessel however, it would only molt once: Its body would accumulate ambient void leaking from the Abyss, as long as it was in the area of the Ancient Basin, where the palace resided. This would cause its body to become more dense and less malleable, while growing slowly over time. Then, its head shell would crack. If it was within the Palace, near the King, the ambient Soul radiating from him would allow a larger, stronger shell to form, enough that the condensed void could expand and form its final, larger body. Its body would be hard, then, and much more durable than the soft, grub-like skin it currently had. The void that made up its body would be strong enough to form an outer armor, almost identical in texture to the chitin of other bugs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It remembered Monomon saying something about how it sounded like such a process would be incredibly painful, and how the King had said that, without emotion or will, such pain would matter little to the Vessel. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now, that wasn’t true. It had a mind, and thoughts, and certainly enough emotion that the thought of such pain made it afraid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It sheepishly reached into its cloak, pulling out the note from the Queen and handing it over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hm? Ah, I see," the King mumbled to himself. He took the note, skimming it over, before sighing softly to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he finished reading, he placed the note face-down on a pile of other papers. "That only confirms it, then. In that case, you are to stay in my workshop for the next few days. I need to think of a solution."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the Vessel could get its hands on something to write with, the King was already heading toward the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Stay here," he repeated. "I will return shortly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel obeyed, retreating into a corner. It was worried, now. Not only was its molt likely going to hurt, but it would also be ready to be sealed away once it reached its full size. But there was no reason for it to be sealed now, right? The Radiance was dead, and the Queen had promised it that it could stay, but there was still a creeping fear in the back of its mind that this was all a test, or a lie, or a dream that it would wake up from at any moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wrapped its arms around itself for comfort, only to realize that it was shaking like a leaf. It forced itself to still, trying its best to remain calm. Surely things would work out, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It pulled out its paper and quill from its cloak. It could ask, now. It would ask the King when he returned, and hopefully he would give a straighter answer than the Queen had. But how should it word its question?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the King returned, the Vessel wasted no time running up to him to show him the paper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is happening?" was the simple question it had written down. The King sighed again, taking a seat on the stool beside his workbench. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The White Lady and I can no longer have any offspring. She refuses to do so. Therefore, now that a vessel is no longer needed, we have made the decision to allow you to stay," he explained. There was an emotion in his voice that the Vessel couldn't quite place, he almost sounded upset. It was clear that he was struggling to find the right words. "There is, however, one issue. The entire kingdom knows that you were made to be hollow. Having you suddenly gain emotion would be suspicious. Therefore, you are to stay in here until you have molted, at which point I will announce that I have given you free will on purpose, as a celebration of our victory over the infection. You are to </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> that you developed such things by accident. Is that understood?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel nodded quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn't know what to think, its mind reeled with thoughts of being allowed to act without orders, being able to communicate with other bugs and to form relationships, to learn skills other than combat... Things to look forward to, that made the impending molt less terrifying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King reached for the rope pull on the wall and gave it a tug, and within a few moments a retainer appeared in the doorway. The Vessel stood still instinctively, doing its best to look blank. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I require a large sleeping cot," the King ordered. "Enough to accomodate a bug slightly larger than Hegemol's size. Set it up in the far corner of the room." He pointed to an empty space in the workshop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The retainer bowed and scurried off, returning several minutes later with three more retainers and a large bundle of fabric. They spread it out and set it up using long poles, creating a large hammock in the corner as instructed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That will be all," the King waved his hand, not looking up from his notes. "Shut the door on your way out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the retainers had left and the door was shut, the Vessel went over to inspect the cot. The fabric was rough and greyed, and looked like it had been in storage for decades. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You will need something to rest on during your molt, and for the few days afterward while your new shell hardens," the King said, now beginning to fiddle with some empty wingmould shells. "Make yourself... comfortable, I suppose. I need to complete these." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel hauled itself up onto the cot, floundering slightly as it lost its balance and tumbled down into the centre of the fabric. Its weight pulled the fabric taught, and it feared for a moment that it might rip the seams. The King had been correct, it had definitely gotten heavier. It almost felt bad for the stags that it had ridden earlier on. It curled up the best it could, trying to ignore the dull pounding in its shell. It wasn’t sure if it was the whirlwind of new experiences that was giving it a headache, or whether its molt was beginning. Either way, its exhaustion from the day was catching up to it, and it soon found itself pulling its cloak over its face as it drifted off to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel spent the next few days drifting in and out of consciousness. It had never had this much time to spend idle, and because it couldn’t leave the workshop, it couldn’t indulge in its usual hobby of eavesdropping. It did overhear the King speaking with someone who had come to the door, but it had been half asleep and didn’t bother paying much attention. The truth was, it felt lethargic. The excitement that it had about the prospect of its new life was still there, but the weight of its body now felt inescapable. It would have liked to pepper the King with questions, but the thought of even putting quill to paper made its exhaustion even more apparent. For most of its time conscious, the King was there as well. It wasn’t sure if he was pretending to work on giving it free will, or whether he was simply concerned for it, but he wasn’t even working on anything. He sat and read for the most part, it seemed, but the Vessel would occasionally catch him staring off into space. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The one time his presence felt sorely needed, however, he was nowhere to be found. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel awoke, in what it assumed must be the middle of the night, to the feeling of intense pressure spreading throughout its body. Its head, especially, felt like it was ready to burst. It tried to roll over to attempt to alleviate some of the pain, but its body remained stiff. It tried to make a noise, any noise, to try to attract the attention of someone passing by, but as it had no voice, nothing came out. It tried again, praying that the Pale King was nearby. It took air into its body slowly and released it all at once, causing a shrill hiss to slip from its spiracles. It couldn't tell how loud the sound was, because its head was pounding and filled with a sound like that of the fountains in the palace garden, only deeper and angrier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It inhaled again, deeper this time, as making the sound did seem to relieve some of the pain. This time, however, instead of the sound it had made before, the room filled with a deafening crack.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When the Vessel next awoke, the Pale King was there. He had pulled his work stool closer to the cot, and the Vessel saw what looked like soul magic seep back into his fingertips in the second after it regained consciousness. Most of the pain was gone now, replaced with a dull ache. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't move," he said softly. "You molted overnight, but your shell still needs to harden. I have hastened the process as much as I could."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That confirmed it, then - the Vessel was now fully grown. It desperately wanted to see what it now looked like, and how big it had gotten. Was it taller than the King, now? Surely it must be, with the size of the cot he had ordered for it. It tried to simply feel how much it had grown, but the residual pain combined with the numbness in its body made that hard to judge. It could, however, tell that much of its body was no longer covered by its cloak. Unlike normal bugs, the Vessel's cloak was actually part of its body. It was made of the same material as its father's wings, and would have served the same purpose, had the Vessel not been imbued with void before hatching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cloak had grown alongside its body until now, and it wondered if it would eventually catch up again. There had been a period of its growth in which its cloak had grown too long for its legs, making sparring incredibly difficult until its height finally grew to match.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It laid still and did its best to sleep for what felt like hours, listening to the quiet whirring of the various mechanisms in the workshop, until finally the King stood and came over to check on it. The pain had faded, now, and it could tell that its body reached the ends of the cot. It felt the King touch its horns, gently at first, and then with more pressure, before doing the same test on its limbs, and finally on its chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You may sit up, now, you've hardened enough to safely move," he said, standing back to allow the Vessel some space. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Carefully</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel slowly began to sit up, the weight of its head feeling almost too great for it to handle at first. It strained its neck forward and used its arms to push, and in the moment it gained the momentum to sit up, it smacked the top of its horns on a shelf. It flinched in surprise, and the King made a soft hiss before climbing up onto the cot to examine its horns. Thankfully, nothing had broken, and the King had had the foresight to remove all objects of importance from the shelf.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once it realized things were alright, the Vessel stood, shaky like a newly hatched stag. It looked down at its new form. Its limbs were longer now, as was its torso, and it was thin and lithe. Its hands, which had previously been soft and pudgy with only enough grip to hold onto its small nail, were now hardened with long, delicate-looking fingers. What once had been pliable grub-like skin was now hardened and shiny, like the armoured shells of the Knights. Its cloak had grown with it somewhat, but its tattered edges still only reached the top of its abdomen. It reached up to feel its horns, which had grown enormous enough that if it attempted to fully straighten its neck, they would be rammed into the low ceiling of the workshop. They had kept their original shape, for the most part, with an added prong along the inner edges. The shape of its head had changed as well, becoming flatter and more pointed in the face. It felt unstable and claustrophobic, with its body taking up so much space. It wobbled slightly and moved to sit back down, but as it reached to stabilize itself on the cot, its fingers touched something hard. Turning to look, it found the old shell of its head, split near-perfectly in two. It picked up the pieces and sat, looking down at the porcelain-white shell in its hands. Both pieces could fit in its palm, now. It looked over to the King, and noticed a marked difference in his appearance - or rather, the perspective at which it saw him. The difference between looking up at him versus looking down made his face look quite different.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"May I?" He asked, reaching to take the shell pieces from it. The Vessel looked down into its old eye holes for a moment before gently handing over the two halves.The King placed the pieces together, lining up the edges perfectly, before fusing them back together with a bright flash of soul magic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll place this somewhere safe," he said, holding the empty shell close to his body. The Vessel gave him a puzzled look. "Such things are traditionally kept as keepsakes by one's parents. You do want the chance to live normally, don't you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel nodded eagerly. It didn't quite understand why anyone would keep such a thing, but it wasn't going to argue. The King placed the shell in a small box on his desk, before turning to speak to it again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now comes the issue of your new title," he continued, beginning to pace. "Do you want to be considered male, or female?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel thought for a moment, and then shook its head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been made without a gender, and it had been fine with that. It didn't understand what all the fuss was about, really. It knew that most couples had one of each, but Ze'mer and her lover were both female.The King merely sighed again. "I suppose a gender is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>entirely</span>
  </em>
  <span> necessary." He paused for a moment. "Allow me to put it this way: would you prefer to be called a prince, or a princess?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel thought again for a moment. 'Prince' was shorter, which would make it faster to write should it ever need to introduce itself that way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It held up a single finger, signifying the first option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King nodded. "Prince, then. The Silver Prince of Hallownest."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a lengthy title, but the Vessel knew that royal bugs used titles instead of names. It wasn't sure if the King and Queen even </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> names, as they had no use for them. The Queen called him 'Wyrm', but that was less of a name and more of a descriptor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless, it nodded eagerly. It was incredibly excited to begin its new life, and it could barely contain itself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Before I announce you, however," he continued. "You look a mess."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King strode over to a tall stone cabinet that sat in the opposite corner of the room. The Vessel hadn't even noticed it until now. He opened its doors, revealing bright armor that looked to have been forged from pale ore, perched neatly atop a stand. A silky white cloak reached all the way to the bottom of the closet. On the shoulder pauldrons were what appeared to be large, metal loops. The King paused for a moment upon seeing this, as if startled by something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...One moment." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled up a step stool, climbing up to reach the armor better. He grabbed the metal loop on one shoulder and pulled. The loop came free from the armor, revealing two  sharp metal spikes that would have pierced the wearer’s shoulder. At the end of the sharp tips where angled grooves, which appeared to be designed to hook the spikes into flesh. He removed an identical structure from the other shoulder and tossed them aside onto the desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel shuddered. Was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> what would have happened to it, had the King not decided to cut down the Radiance? The King made no indication that he found the idea disturbing, continuing on with clockwork precision. He plucked a pair of small metal objects from the workbench. The Vessel couldn't see exactly what they were, but they had two short, blunt metal prongs on the underside. He placed them over the holes left on each shoulder, and reached underneath to fasten the objects in place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>There</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now, come here," he moved the stepstool aside. "You need to get dressed."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel obeyed, albeit warily, and took the armor down from the stand. The shoulders were now both decorated with a raised, gilded Hallownest seal. The front chest piece came apart from the piece with shoulders and cape, to allow the armor to easily slip onto the Vessel's body. It knelt down, and the King helped it lift the armor onto its shoulders, before fastening the chest plate back on. It couldn't feel the place where the new designs were attached, and despite the extra weight, the armor was actually quite comfortable. The shoulders were padded nicely, and the armor contoured perfectly to the Vessel's body. The cape trailed a ways behind it on the ground. Thankfully, the front of the cape opened to allow the Vessel easy use of its arms, and the fabric was shorter in front to help negate the risk of tripping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It spun a bit, trying its best to look over its shoulder to see itself better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tomorrow, you will have access to a mirror once you are formally introduced to the court," the King stated, moving the sharp loops off of his desk and into a bin of scrap metal nearby. "For now, preparations must be made. Stay here until I return to collect you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel sat back onto the cot, trying not to show its disappointment. It had assumed that surely today would be the day, and it chided itself for getting its hopes up. The King shut the door behind him as he left, leaving the Vessel alone once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King didn't return at all that day, and the Vessel spent its time alone trying to get used to its new form. It practiced walking, making sure it could adjust to its higher centre of gravity. The added weight of the armor and the length of the cape made this difficult, but it soon found its balance. Once it tired of that, it examined its hands more closely, trying to figure out how it would be able to speak with them, as the Queen had said. It could make noise by clapping its hands together, but not much else. Puzzled, it soon gave up, letting its mind wander. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was odd to be able to lose itself in thought, without fear that it was going to bring about the destruction of the kingdom. With nothing to occupy itself with, its thoughts soon drifted to those horrible spiked loops that had been attached to the armor. It crept over to the scrap metal bin, as if afraid that it would be reprimanded for this, somehow. It cautiously picked up one of the loops, examining it more closely. The spikes were nail-sharp, leaving no doubt in its mind that they had been designed for piercing its carapace. The looped part, when it had sat on the shoulder pauldron, had looked like it was made to anchor something to the wearer. Perhaps these were to hold the Vessel in place during its sealing? The thought of the pain that would be caused by such a thing made it feel sick. It dropped the piece back into the bin and flopped back down onto the cot, in hopes that fantasizing about its new life would distract it from the cold, heavy feeling inside of its abdomen.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>See end of chapter for notes on how Im treating the Vessel's sign language!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sleep did not find the Vessel easily that night. The realization of the horrors that had originally awaited it, as well as the dizzying excitement of what tomorrow would bring, kept it awake. Still, it managed to doze off for a few hours just before dawn. While Hallownest had no sun to rise or set, the bugs that lived there craved routine, and the palace’s occupants were no exception. Just before the hour at which most of the kingdom would start to wake, the door to the workshop opened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel was easily roused from its half-sleep by the sound, and it looked up to see the King standing in the doorway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was <em>finally</em> time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It rose quickly to its feet without needing any prompting, and the King merely chuckled to himself and waved for it to follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Today will be busy for you," the King began, not even bothering to greet the Vessel. "After I announce you to the court, you will begin your lessons with the Watcher immediately."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel wrung its hands in nervous excitement. It had heard about the Watcher, a noblebug from the City of Tears which had been among the three chosen to be living seals. From what it had gathered from eavesdropping on gossipping retainers, he was strict, proper, and very imposing for his size. The Queen had mentioned that she wondered if he could tutor the Vessel in language, so that must be what he was here for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He will be staying in the palace to tutor you for several months. Be respectful at all times."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel nodded, despite the fact that the King hadn't even turned to look at it once since they began walking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He rarely leaves the City, and is only doing so at my request. I suspect that this will not be an easy adjustment for him to make.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King and Vessel walked in silence after that, until they reached a large and familiar balcony. It was the King's favorite place to sit, and it was where the Vessel's capacity for emotion and thought had first been realized. It felt like that had been an eternity ago, even though it had only been a few months in reality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King instructed the Vessel to stay put, out of view of the apparent crowd below, until it was summoned forward. With the Vessel waiting behind him, out of sight, the King stepped forward to the edge of the balcony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Vessel could hear the quiet chatter of the bugs below fall silent in an instant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Loyal denizens of Hallownest," the King began. "Now is a time for celebration — I have found the source of the infection that has plagued our great kingdom, and I have cut it down. No longer shall we suffer and live in fear, and no longer is there a need for three of our kingdom's brightest to enter into an eternal sleep. Today is the beginning of a new era in our storied history."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd below erupted into cheering. The King paused for a moment to allow them their excitement, before raising a hand to silence them once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Some among you may wonder what shall become of the Vessel crafted to contain the infection. As a celebration of our kingdom's great triumph, I have granted the Vessel emotion, thought, and free will. No longer will it be a Vessel, an object. Today, I present to you," he paused, turning slightly to wave the Vessel over. It nearly tripped over itself in its excitement as it stepped forward to stand beside its father. "The Silver Prince of Hallownest!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The roar of applause and cheering came from below, and the Vessel — no, the Prince — looked down to see more bugs than it had ever seen before. The Knights were there, all of the royal retainers, and countless more bugs that it supposed must be nobility and aristocracy from the City of Tears. It spotted Monomon, who it recognized from her visit when it was new, as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King raised a hand again to silence the crowd once more before continuing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A banquet will be held at the palace this evening in honour of them, and festivals will be held across the kingdom in celebration of this new beginning. Hallownest shall last eternal!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd lit up again, louder than before. Between the sound of celebrating bugs and the reeling thoughts in the Prince's head, they barely noticed that the King had retreated out of sight of the crowd. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were a they now, not an "it". They were a Prince, not a tool to be used, they were now finally allowed to be a real bug. The excitement made them feel as though they were about to burst.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon realizing that the King had left, they gave an awkward wave to the crowd before stepping out of view.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're shaking," the King pointed out as the Prince caught up to him. "Excited?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They nodded, taking in a deep breath to attempt to steady themself. The King chuckled softly, giving them a pat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come," he gestured for them to follow. "We have much to do before the festivities begin tonight."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He led the way toward the palace library, which the Prince had peeked inside of from the doorway, but never entered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Watcher will be arriving any second now. Simply follow my lead."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure enough, within a few moments, three bugs shuffled into the library: a retainer leading two other bugs. One taller than average and thin, covered from head to toe with a plain, navy blue cloak. His face was covered by a simple mask with a singular eye hole in the center. The other bug was closer to the retainer's size, with a deep maroon shell and a small blue bauble pinned just beneath his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The retainer bowed deeply at the waist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Announcing Lurien the Watcher, of the City of Tears," the retainer said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both other bugs bowed to the King first, and the tall one, who the Prince supposed must be the Watcher, took the King's outstretched hand and touched it to his mask. Then, he rose, and turned to bow to the Prince. They put their hand out, just as the King had done, and the Watcher did the same to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Watcher Lurien," the King began. "How good it is to see you. As you know, I have a task for you that will require your presence in the palace for a time." He moved to sit on one of the cushioned seats around the nearest table, and the Prince took a seat next to him. Nobody said anything, so that seemed to be the correct move. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Please, take a seat," the King continued, and the Watcher sat. The smaller bug with him moved to stand beside the retainer, and the Prince supposed that he must be a servant as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I will do what I must to serve Hallownest and its King," replied the Watcher. "What is it that you require of me?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As you know, the Vessels were created without the capacity for speech. The Prince was no exception, and thus requires an alternate method of communication. You are to tutor them, and teach them to speak the language of hands."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Watcher nodded. "As you wish, my King."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"In addition, they will require an interpreter," the King turned his attention to the retainer standing to the side. "Retainer, you speak some hand, do you not?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not as fluently as the Watcher surely does, but I know enough to communicate. My sister is deaf, you see, and-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King raised a hand to cut off the retainer's tangent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are to be present for all of the Prince's lessons, and you will remain by their side to translate their words."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The retainer nodded and bowed, remaining silent this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Begin your first lesson now," the King continued. "The Prince will be expected to give a toast at the banquet tonight."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rose from his seat, as did the Watcher, and the Prince followed suit as well. The other bugs all bowed to the King as he left, leaving the Prince alone with three strangers and no clue as to what to do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Watcher stayed standing, until the Prince realized that it was likely because they hadn't sat back down yet. It had watched enough bugs interact with the King to know that nobody was to sit until the King did, so the same likely applied to the Prince.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sat back down, and sure enough, the Watcher followed suit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now then," he began. "Can you read and write at all?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Aplos, fetch some parchment and a quill," he ordered, and the servant he had entered with scampered off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now then," he continued, turning his attention back to the Prince. "We will begin with the signs for 'yes' and 'no'. Simply nodding one's head is unbecoming of a bug of your stature. This is a 'yes'," He raised his hand up and made a fist, and bobbed it up and down quickly at the wrist. "And this sign means 'no'." He took his index and middle fingers and tapped them against his thumb. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince mimicked both signs, earning a hum of approval from the Watcher.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Aplos — who the Prince soon learned was the Watcher’s butler —  returned with the parchment, Watcher Lurien instructed the Prince to write down a few ideas for their toast. They had to ask for some examples though, having never even attended a banquet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Usually, one would thank the guests for attending, and thank the individuals for whom the banquet is honouring. Then, one would ask the guests to raise their drinks in honour of a person, event, or the Kingdom,” he explained. “Aplos, fetch us four glasses. We will need to practice this, </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Aplos rushed off again, the Prince began writing out their ideas. Lurien sounded frustrated with them already, probably for their lack of knowledge on social poise. They couldn’t help it, though, and hoped that he at least wouldn’t yell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they had a rough draft ready, they slid the page over to Lurien. He read it over, and hummed softly to himself. He set the paper down, and quickly went through and scrawled in some edits. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I added a more </span>
  <em>
    <span>proper</span>
  </em>
  <span> address for the King, but otherwise, this will do nicely.” The Watcher took a glass from the stack that Aplos had brought in, and stood. “Allow me to demonstrate how this should look.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He began reciting what the Prince had written, while using both hands to make the gestures and signs that corresponded with the words. Part way through, he raised his cup, and finished with the final phrase: “To the great kingdom of Hallownest; may it last eternal.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aplos and the retainer each took a glass and raised them, and then all three pretended to drink from the empty cups.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, let’s break that down,” Lurien said, sitting again. “Your interpreter will be the one speaking out loud so that those who do not know hand will be able to understand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He began going through the signs for each word, and the Prince followed along with rapt attention. They were, thankfully, a fast learner, and their eagerness to be able to communicate with others more easily certainly sped things along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After he was confident that the Prince had most of the signs down pat, Lurien turned his attention to teaching them a bit more about formal banquets, the social procedures involved, and what they were allowed and not allowed to do. He signed along as he spoke, which he explained would help the Prince to learn faster; that was, of course, if they paid attention. They had no issue doing so, and soon they had picked up a few additional words and phrases. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, let’s take a short recess,” Lurien finally said. “I need to go over a few things with your interpreter. You have 15 minutes to stretch your legs if you’d like, but not a moment longer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a quick “yes, Watcher Lurien” before setting off to go practice alone on the balcony.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'll do my best to make this clear in the writing, but everything the Vessel/Prince says is in sign language! I'm calling Hallownest's version of sign language "hand-speak" or simply "hand". I'm using ASL as a reference when describing any signs. Instead of spelling out letters like one would in ASL, hand-speak has signs for different syllables to match how I headcanon their writing system working.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Prince returned on time, as promised. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My Prince," Lurien greeted, rising respectfully from his seat. "I have made good progress with your interpreter, Stirellus."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince sat and gave a single nod of acknowledgement. They were happy to finally know the name of their interpreter, as he would likely be by their side most of the time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lurien showed them how to sign the syllables of Stirellus' name, before waving Aplos forward. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smaller bug set a bundle on the table and opened it, revealing a full set of silverware. He arranged the pieces with practiced precision in front of the Prince, before placing a second bundle in front of Lurien and doing the same. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The last thing we need to cover for tonight is appropriate dining etiquette," Lurien continued, signing along as he spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince paused for a moment. It didn’t know all the signs for what they needed to say, so they reached for the paper and quill. They quickly scrawled out a note and handed it to Lurien: “I can’t eat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Lurien was clearly stumped. “In that case, I… I suppose you could simply pretend?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince cocked their head to the side curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The table at which the royal family sits is raised slightly above the rest of the room,” he continued. “If you were to simply move your silverware as if eating, I highly doubt anyone would take notice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The notion was incredibly silly, but they agreed, eager to carry on with the lesson anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few hours spent learning and reviewing etiquette and hand-speech, Lurien declared that the Prince was as ready as they could possibly be for the banquet. Almost immediately after he’d said that a pair of retainers shuffled into the library, as if on cue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Silver Prince,” said one of them, as they both bowed low. “The King wishes to see you in his workshop immediately. Shall I escort you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a “no”, which Stirellus translated, before standing and thanking Lurien. They then set off, Stirellus in tow, to pay their father a visit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King was waiting outside the door for them when they arrived. He instructed Stirellus to wait in the corridor, before ushering the Prince inside and closing the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the workbench sat a glass of water, and a plate with a small cut of meat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you remember how I taught you to manipulate your body’s void in combat?" the King asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a "yes", curious as to what he was getting at. Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> they remembered that, they had spent weeks worth of drills on void manipulation alone!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You should be able to use a similar technique to absorb food." The King gestured toward the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was handed a fork, and instructed to try running a small tendril of void from their fingertip, along the bottom of the handle. It took them a moment, but they eventually figured out how to make the void barely noticeable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Try picking up some food this time," the King continued, "Pierce it with your void and try to slowly absorb it into yourself."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again, it took a few tries for the Prince to get the hang of it, but it eventually succeeded in making the food on the fork vanish into the void tendril.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sensation was incredibly strange, but not entirely unpleasant. They couldn't taste like a normal bug, but they could sense the small amount of residual Soul that was left in the meat. The temperature and texture were clear to them as well, which made the feeling more interesting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't expect you to eat often, only when dining with guests. We have to be polite, after all, and the majority of politeness lies in keeping up one’s appearances."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince didn't know exactly what that meant, but they were quickly learning that “politeness” was just a matter of following all of the useless little rules that Lurien had been teaching them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless, they moved on to try the same technique to "drink" the water. There was no Soul in the water, but the sensation of cold liquid was much different than that of the meat. Again, not unpleasant, just rather boring. It felt like a waste for them to eat things that others could have enjoyed, but they obeyed their father anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once finished there, the King led the Prince and Stirellus in the direction of the banquet hall. They would wait, on a walkway above the entrance to the hall, to watch as the guests poured in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Queen was there waiting for them all, and she looked to be glowing with joy upon seeing them. The Prince knew she had been supposed to arrive at the palace that day, but they hadn't had the chance to see her until now. She greeted them both happily, leaning down to plant a kiss on her husband's head before moving to pat the Prince's. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Look how you've grown!" She said, cupping the Prince's face. "My child..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was glad that she was so happy to see them. They knew from what the King had told them that she had wanted children very badly, but could not bring herself to have any after what she had to do in order to help create the vessels. Now, she had one that she could keep, one that had the ability to understand that she loved them, and they could love her back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The family waited, watching the guests below, as the King prattled on to his Lady about things the Prince barely paid attention to. They were more interested in getting a better look at the guests; they hadn’t gotten a very good view during the announcement earlier that day. The bugs were all dressed similarly to Aplos, but with showier accessories that matched the pompous aire about them. They spotted Lurien in the crowd, escorted by one of the retainers that had come to fetch them from the library. Beside Lurien was Monomon the Teacher, who looked to be chatting with him. She had a smaller, less aristocratic-looking bug by her side. He didn’t look to be a noblebug, but the Prince had heard that guests were allowed to bring along a guest of their own </span>
  <span>— </span>
  <span>provided they warned the host beforehand. They supposed he must be her plus-one. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Knights were arriving as well. They were expected to adhere to different rules, apparently, as they were part of what Lurien called the King’s military. Still, Ze’mer had been allowed to invite her partner, who followed the five Knights from behind as they marched in formation. It looked odd, but they supposed that they could see the elegance in it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were distracted from their thoughts as another retainer shuffled up onto the walkway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Your banquet awaits," she said, bowing low. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Announce our arrival, then," the King gave a dismissive wave of his hand. The Prince had learned from Lurien that it was customary for royalty to be announced to the guests before entering a room. It sounded like a silly rule, especially because the Pale King gave off enough light that anyone would notice immediately when he entered a room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, the family made their way down the stairs, and once the announcement was made, the doors swung open. This too, the Prince had been told about: first went the King, and then the Queen, and then them, with their interpreter bringing up the rear. For seating, the King sat at the middle seat of the table, which was on a low stage raised above the rest of the hall. The Queen and Prince would each sit beside him, and once he gave the word, the festivities would begin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The guests fell silent once the doors opened, all of them standing respectfully at their seats. That rule was less silly, they decided, as it gave the Prince a moment of quiet before the hall would get loud again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the royals were seated, the guests all sat as well, and the King gave the word for the banquet to properly begin. Noise began to well into the hall again, as the excited chatter of the guests began to pick up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A group of bugs that the Prince didn't recognize were sat in one corner, each holding a different strange object. Some were tube-like with lots of holes, others made of wood with strings, and some looked to be wood cylinders with some sort of fabric stretched across the top. One bug stood in front of them all, with a small, thin stick in hand. She waved it upward, and the bugs seemed to stiffen. She waved down, and the bugs all began using their objects to make sound. The Prince realized what they were immediately. They had heard music before, of course, but never had the chance to see it being played. The musicians played a relaxed but happy-sounding piece, as retainers began scurrying about, delivering platters to every table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was enraptured by the musicians, however, and barely even noticed when a large plate of meat and grilled mushrooms was set out before them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They wanted to learn to play an instrument, they decided. While the ones that needed to be blown into were out of the question, as the Prince lacked a mouth, there was a wide variety of stringed instruments to choose from.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Father,” they signed, hoping to get the Pale King’s attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is too early to give your toast,” replied the King, barely turning his head. “Wait for a while.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, different question”, the Prince continued. “Want to learn that,” they pointed at the musicians. They didn’t know all of the signs to get their point across, but they hoped that this would work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“An instrument?” The King asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” came the Prince’s enthusiastic reply. They had been told not to nod, but they couldn’t help doing so in addition to their sign.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can discuss it with the Watcher, I suppose, when you become more proficient with your signing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” the Prince replied, wiggling in their seat a little. They had wanted to be able to make such beautiful sounds ever since they had first heard Ze’mer’s singing, but as they were unable to sing without a voice, an instrument would be the next best option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your food is going to get cold,” the King added. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince picked up one of the several forks before them, careful to ensure that it was the right one. Glancing at both their father and at Lurien, who was seated a few tables away, to double check, they carefully took a piece of meat and tried it. The sensation was much the same as when they'd practiced before, and they did their best to keep pace with the speed at which everyone else seemed to be eating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King and Queen continued to discuss something quietly while they ate. The Prince had been told that public appearances by the King were incredibly rare, and that a banquet like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most bugs. To the people of Hallownest, the Pale King was a god. The guests all seemed to be very excited to be in his presence, the Prince caught them stealing glances at him, and then looking away again, as if unworthy to view him. Either that, or the light he gave off was too bright for bugs to look at for long. The Prince was used to the blinding white of almost everything in the palace, but from what little they had seen, the rest of the kingdom was a lot darker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After three more courses, all of which were uneventful, the King finally spoke again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now would be a good time for you to give your toast, my child," he said quietly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince nodded and stood, careful to follow every instruction Lurien had given them earlier. They took their glass in one hand and clinked a utensil against the side of it, and the room fell silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All eyes in the room were now on them, and the Prince froze for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had never had so many people looking at them before today, and now those people were </span>
  <em>
    <span>expecting</span>
  </em>
  <span> something of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stirellus looked up at them and nodded encouragingly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Prince wishes to propose a toast," he announced. "As they speak only with their hands, I will translate for those among our honoured guests who do not speak hand."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince raised their hands and began to sign, exactly as practiced that afternoon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I would like to begin by thanking all of our honoured guests; as well as my father, his majesty the King, who has granted me the ability to live amongst the bugs of the court. I believe I speak for all bugs across Hallownest when I say that I am incredibly thankful for our King, and his triumph over the infection."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stirellus translated dutifully as they signed, just as rehearsed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Let us all raise our glasses to the beginning of a new era in Hallownest's history," the Prince continued, picking up their glass once more. They now had to sign with one hand, but Stirellus was making sure that they would be understood. "To the great kingdom of Hallownest, may it last eternal!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They held the glass higher as the guests did the same, and a reply of "to Hallownest!" echoed out from the crowd. The bugs all clinked their glasses together and drank, and the Prince took a sip before sitting back down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You did very well," the King said proudly. "Remember to thank Lurien for his help when you next speak to him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince gave a "yes" sign and continued eating what they hoped must be the final course. Sure enough, the retainers soon began collecting dishes to return them to the kitchen. The Prince was relieved that the feast portion was over, but according to their lesson with Lurien, the night was only just beginning.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not super proud of these last few chapters but we're finally getting somewhere with the gay at least</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The band had stopped playing while the retainers cleared the room of all dishes and tables, but once the room was empty, they began to play again. This time, the band began to play an upbeat, bouncy tune. The guests began pairing off to dance, swirling about together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince watched from their seat, enraptured. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had never seen dancing before, and it was beautiful to watch. They wondered if their body was capable of such fluid movement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lurien had already warned them, though, that royalty did not “lower themselves” to dancing in public. Instead, they had to be content with just watching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, though, they were used to that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scanning the room, they could see that Monomon seemed to be asking Lurien something, which he shook his head at. She shrugged, and took off dancing with the bug she had brought along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched as the two of them twirled across the floor, weaving in and out of the other dancing bugs. They spotted Ze'mer and her lover as well, who were dancing together, of course. The Prince tried not to slump, scanning for anyone else they knew in the crowd. They still felt sour when they thought about the couple, for some reason that they couldn't place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dryya had volunteered to stay back, closer to the King's table, to act as security. She had a habit of volunteering for such tasks, the Prince had noticed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hegemol, on the other hand, was doing the only thing he did as well as fighting: entertaining. He was sharing drinks with some noblebugs from the city, and though the Prince couldn't hear what he was saying, the way he was gesturing made it clear that he was telling stories. The reactions of the other bugs looked to be shock and wonder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A bit closer to the King's table were Isma and Ogrim, dancing together. Ogrim's laughter was deep and booming, and the Prince could hear it from where they were sitting. Something about the sound made them feel better, less... Jealous? Was that the emotion? About Ze'mer. They watched Ogrim dance as he glided across the floor, incredibly graceful for his size. Perhaps they could ask him to show them how to dance? Lurien said it would be inappropriate in </span>
  <em>
    <span>public</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but alone with one knight surely didn't count as “public”, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched Ogrim, imagining that they were in Isma's place; one hand on Ogrim's waist, swishing elegantly across the floor...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince barely noticed when bugs began to retire for the night. Eventually, only a few handfuls of bugs were left: the Knights, who were obligated to stay until the end of the banquet, and some bugs who seemed as though they were falling asleep where they stood. Retainers were trying to escort them out, and while some sleepily complied, others seemed adamant that they were fine. Many were still holding glasses of dark purple liquid, which looked to be the same as the drink that Hegemol seemed to enjoy. It seemed that the drink made bugs sleepy </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> clumsy, which was another thing they would have to ask about.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>According to Lurien, it was customary for the hosts of a banquet to stay until every guest had left, and the guests were to bow respectfully to the host as they left. They supposed that the guests had been bowing to them on their way out, but they had been too focused on daydreaming about Ogrim to notice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the last of the guests had filtered out, the King stood, then planted a kiss on the Queen's head and bid her goodnight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have one last thing to show you tonight," the King said, turning to the Prince. "Follow me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a "Goodnight, Mother" to the Queen before taking off after the King.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They followed him through the hallways, which had long since fallen silent for the night. Stirellus followed along as well, as the King led the way up many flights of stairs, into the heart of the palace. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, they reached a large, gilded door, which the King noted was his own bedchamber that he shared with the Queen. The next door beside it, however, was where they stopped. The door here was equally tall, but slightly less decorated. The King handed the Prince a key, and ushered them forward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Confused, they unlocked the door, and stepped inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room was just as bright white as the rest of the Palace, with high, vaulted ceilings and large windows. To one side was a glass door which appeared to open onto a small balcony, and to the other side was a small corridor lined with lumafly lanterns. The sound of running water could be heard coming faintly from it. In the center of the room was a large, plush bed, with a canopy of wispy white fabric surrounding it. There was a large desk with a chair, and a tall, full length mirror beside a closet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince caught a glimpse of their reflection, and nearly forgot all about the rest of the room. They knew they had changed a lot, but seeing their new self was incredibly overwhelming. They stood stock stiff, staring at themself for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"This is your new room," the King said, snapping them out of it. "The balcony overlooks a small, enclosed courtyard, and the path to the left leads to your own private hotspring. Pull the rope by the door should you need to summon a retainer for any reason."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince nodded excitedly, forgetting their etiquette lessons in the heat of the moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you" they managed to sign, and the King merely chuckled and turned to leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good night, Silver Prince," he said, before shutting the door behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shall I leave you for the night as well, my liege?" Stirellus asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince had almost forgotten he was there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, please," they replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stirellus gave a deep bow and headed for the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I will come to collect you when it is time for your lesson with the Watcher, but if you require my presence sooner, please feel free to send for me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a "good night" to him as he left, and the moment the door shut, they flopped face-first onto the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was just as comfortable as it looked, they decided. Their armor, however, made laying down somewhat awkward, so they soon sat up again. Despite their weariness from all that had happened that day, their mind still swirled with excitement. They had never had a proper bed before, or a space to call their own. A space this luxurious was almost too good to be true, and they had to take a moment to explore it. Outside on the balcony, they could see the lights from their parents' room, as well as the many twinkling lumafly lanterns in the garden below. The courtyard was small and enclosed by the walls of the palace on all sides, with what looked like a single entrance on the ground floor to access the area for maintenance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next, they removed their armor for the night, and put it up in the large closet that sat next to their desk. They decided to explore their hotspring, too. They were pretty sure that was what the wet-smelling room the Knights often used after training was, but they had never been allowed into one. They were unsure of what to expect, aside from some water, of course. Inside the room was a decently sized bath, large enough for them to stretch out comfortably in. The water was kept moving gently by a fountain, and it was hot enough that it was steaming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They tested the water cautiously with one hand, before stepping in slowly. It was very hot at first, but within a few seconds, their body adjusted to the temperature. The warmth seeped into their joints, relaxing every tense muscle in their body. It felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They could see why the Knights always wanted to bathe after training. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, it became difficult for the Prince to stay awake. Using the last ounce of motivation left in their body, they hauled themself out of the bath and back into the main bedroom. There, they curled up in bed once more, and fell asleep the second their head hit the pillow.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>not really liking my writing lately but here's this I guess</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Over the next few weeks, the Prince settled into an easy routine. If they decided to sleep at all the night before, they’d wake when Stirellus came to collect them first thing in the morning. He would help them with their armor, and then the pair would head to the training hall so that the Prince could spar with the Knights. After the training session, the Prince would return to their room to use the private hotspring, and then it would be time for language and etiquette lessons with the Watcher. Then, they would be permitted to do as they pleased for the rest of the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had taken to reading in the library during this free time, in addition to their usual people-watching habit. Lurien had suggested they familiarize themself with Hallownest's literature, but the Prince found all the poetry about the King to be incredibly repetitive after a while. Yes, he emitted a bright glow, and was responsible for the prosperity of the kingdom, but everyone knew that already! There was no reason to write about it ad nauseum. Eventually, though, a collection of writing stones caught their attention: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Flora and Fungi of Hallownest and Beyond</span>
  </em>
  <span>, written by a bug by the name of Cladonia the Wise. She had travelled through the entirety of the kingdom, and even into the areas on its border, documenting every plant and mushroom she could find. She had even included illustrations made on parchment in the collection, each corresponding to one of the writing stones. There were hundreds of them, and even more stones, so much that they took up an entire section of the library. Stirellus had told the Prince that when Cladonia had died, she left her life's work to Monomon, whom she had been close with. Monomon had then transcribed every piece of information from the collection into her own archive, and gifted the originals to the King's library. Monomon was famous for collecting knowledge, of course, but her title was "Teacher" for a reason: she loved to share information more than anything. The palace library was the safest place for the collection, and she had known that both Isma and the Queen would find the tomes useful. The Prince made a mental note to write her a letter to thank her for donating the collection to the library. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They would come across listings of plants that they had seen in the Queen's gardens, as well as ones that Isma was growing in the palace courtyards, and countless more that were entirely foreign. The Prince made a list of their favorite plants and mushrooms, writing down the name, location, and preferred habitat of each species. They wanted to go see the rest of the kingdom someday, and while they did that, they wanted to find these species in person.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One day, after about a month of the same routine, the Prince's lesson with Lurien was interrupted by a retainer scurrying into the library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My deepest apologies for the interruption," she began, bowing deeply. "My Prince, his majesty the Pale King wishes to see you in his throne room at once.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince apologized to Lurien before setting off with Stirellus following close behind. When they arrived, the King was pacing anxiously back and forth. He perked up when the Prince entered, before sighing and plopping down into his throne.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We have... A bit of a situation," he began. "You know of the three Dreamers I selected, of course. There is only one of the three that you have not met, and unfortunately, I now... Share a responsibility of sorts with her."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince cocked their head to the side curiously. They had heard of her, of Herrah the Beast, but only as far as her name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I... In order to convince her to become a Dreamer, I had to give her something in return. And what she requested was... an heir. I assumed I would not be required to take part in raising it, however," he sighed, holding out a letter. "Just... Read for yourself, my child."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince took the letter from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wyrm," it read, "As much as I despise having to do this, I must request that you act as a father to our child. I need her to be safe for a few weeks while Deepnest deals with a rather severe infestation of mites. The wretched things have a spike in numbers every century or so. I am sending her to you for the time being, and I expect her to be in good health and good spirits when she returns." There was no sign-off, no further details.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I cannot have Lurien here while this... This child runs amok across the palace," the King groaned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"If I may," the Prince signed, doing their best to follow their etiquette lessons. "Perhaps tell Lurien that he may return to the City for a few weeks?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King thought for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I... Suppose he deserves a vacation? Yes, that will work, I think," he stood again, returning to his pacing. "And you, my child, are going to be in charge of ensuring that your </span>
  <em>
    <span>sister</span>
  </em>
  <span> is entertained. My Queen has retired to her gardens for the time being and will be unable to do so."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was unsure of how one kept a child entertained, let alone a child that was supposedly their sister that they had only just learned about. Regardless, they agreed, hoping desperately that the King was simply exaggerating the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King wrote a note for the Prince to give to Lurien, and sent them on their way. When they returned to the library, they handed the message over, and sat back down in their seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...I see," Lurien said, tucking the note into his cloak. "We are to finish this lesson, and then I will be speaking with the King briefly before leaving, it seems." Lurien instructed Aplos to begin packing immediately and to prepare for the trip back to the City of Tears, before continuing on with the lesson, albeit hurriedly now. It seemed he was eager to return to the City.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the Watcher's departure, the Prince found themself pacing alone in their room. Stirellus stood by the doorway, watching anxiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Stirellus," they finally signed, "how does one entertain a child?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well," the retainer began, "I would simply ask her what she wants to do. Most children have a favourite game or pastime, and all you need to do is play along and ensure that she is safe. I will be there to help, of course!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince flopped onto the bed. They really had no idea what to expect; their own so-called childhood hadn't had much room for play.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The child, who the Prince had come to learn was named Hornet, would be arriving tomorrow. They had heard whispers that her home, Deepnest, was a wild place: home to aggressive, headstrong bugs that rejected the King's rule. The Weavers, an odd group of bugs that resided there, had been enlisted to help create the seal of binding that was originally to be used to seal away the infection, and the Prince along with it. Aside from that, they hadn't a clue what to expect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sent Stirellus away for the night, and retired to the hotspring. While the waters relaxed their body, their mind was still filled to the brim with anxious thoughts about their newly-discovered sibling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A walk might help calm their mind, they decided. The Prince meandered through the halls and out to the main garden of the palace. They could identify the plants there easily now, and if Isma had been lax on her weeding lately, there would be new, wild plants cropping up for the Prince to inspect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They wandered through the garden, peeking under shrubs. There wasn't much in the way of weeds growing, but there were some mushrooms growing from some mulch that had been put in recently. Elated, the Prince pulled out a piece of parchment from the pocket inside their cape, and began noting down their find. The mushrooms were small and brown, nothing too special, but they grew in tight clumps that were stuck to the wood chips in the mulch with a thick wad of white, thread-like mycelium. The Prince had read about such mushrooms; from what Cladonia the Wise had written, they'd learned that species like these helped to turn the mulch into usable soil. She had called them ugly and boring in her writing, but that was a matter of opinion, the Prince had decided. They thought the mushrooms were interesting, and they had a simple beauty of sorts to them, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After scrawling down the defining characteristics of the mushrooms and drawing a rough sketch for their personal notes, the Prince rose to their feet and began to explore again. They had barely noticed the humming in the distance while they were looking at the mushrooms, but as they neared the center of the garden, it was getting louder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rounding a hedge, they found the source: Ogrim was spreading more mulch on an empty flower bed, humming to himself. It was strange that he was out so late, but then again, so was the Prince. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They clapped their hands quietly to get his attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah! Hello, my Prince!" Ogrim said, turning to give a respectful bow. "You're out quite late, is everything alright?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just exploring," they signed, before realizing that they'd dismissed Stirellus hours ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pulled out some more parchment and wrote their words down, before handing it to Ogrim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, of course! I'm tending to this section for Isma, she plans to put in some flowers soon," he continued, patting the bag of mulch. "This is my own special blend! It has manure in it for fertilizer." He puffed his chest out proudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is it the same mulch used in the shrubs by the fountain?" The Prince wrote, before handing over another paper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It is, indeed!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince perked up at that, and rummaged through their pocket to pull out their mushroom notes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mushrooms? You found these growing over there?" Ogrim seemed concerned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They're good for the soil," the Prince wrote down quickly. "Please don't pull them up."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll be sure to let Isma know that you'd like them kept there," Ogrim gave another bow. "If it helps the soil and it pleases our Prince, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to leave them to grow!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince signed a "thank you," their happiness making them forget for a moment that they had no interpreter. Realizing their mistake, they reached into their cloak for more parchment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That sign I know! You said 'thank you', yes?" Ogrim interjected. The Prince nodded and signed a ‘yes’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And that's a 'yes'! I've been able to pick up a few signs, soon enough you won't be needing a translator to speak to me!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince stifled a laugh at his enthusiasm. It was a mostly silent laugh, but the force of air coming out of their spiracles made a soft whistling. Lurien had chided them for laughing during a lesson, stating that it was "improper", but the Prince couldn't help it. Something about Ogrim's enthusiasm just made them feel like laughing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'd like that," they signed, before writing down the same thing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As would I! But for now, I believe I should finish this and get some rest," Ogrim said, bowing again. "The King has an assignment for me tomorrow, and I will need to be well rested!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince nodded and bid him goodnight, before setting off back inside. Something about having seen Ogrim made them feel at ease, and they felt as though now they would be able to sleep. They wondered what his assignment would be, but they'd ask about it when he returned, they supposed. They didn't know if he was being sent somewhere, but if he was, they hoped he wouldn't be away for long.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next morning was a rush of activity. Lurien had thankfully set off the previous evening, and the Prince was being herded around by a pair of anxious retainers. They were shown which room Hornet would be staying in, given a list of places she was barred from entering, and given a strict schedule to adhere to for her meals and bedtime. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You'll also be assigned a Knight for security purpos-" the retainer's sentence was cut off by the ringing of a bell in the distance. "Oh good heavens, she's </span>
  <em>
    <span>early</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Hurry, hurry to the main hall, we still have much to do to prepare," he shooed the Prince off down the hall and took off, the second retainer scurrying after him. That left the Prince alone with Stirellus, and the two rushed off to go meet the heiress to the throne of Deepnest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Standing by the entrance when they arrived was a small bug in a bright red cloak. She had horns not unlike the Prince's own, but much smaller and without the extra prongs along the inner edge. She was absolutely tiny, shorter than the retainers, and she was bouncing up and down impatiently. Next to her</span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span> thank goodness</span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span>was Ogrim, who was squatting down to speak to her. As the Prince got close, they could hear that Ogrim was introducing himself, and the little bug in red did the same with a clumsy curtsey.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good morning, my Prince!" Ogrim said as he noticed them approach. "It seems we shall be working together to entertain our guest!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was glad they wouldn't be alone in their task, and even more so that Ogrim was the one to help out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello Hornet, Ogrim," they signed, with Stirellus translating dutifully as usual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The little bug cocked her head to the side, confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Allow me to explain," Ogrim interjected. "The Prince is unable to speak, so they use their hands to communicate instead. This bug is their interpreter."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh," Hornet said, shuffling her feet a bit. She was clearly still a bit puzzled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Welcome to the palace! It’s good to meet you,” they continued. It was a bit awkward, as little Hornet clearly didn’t quite understand how their communication worked. They hoped she would get used to it quickly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You as well,” she answered, giving another quick bow. She was a bit awkward, but then again, the Prince had been as well when they were first learning all of the silly little etiquette rules that Hallownest’s high society had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don't suppose you have a favorite game you like to play?" The Prince offered, trying to follow Stirellus' advice in order to change the subject. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes! Mother and I like to hunt together," she said, pulling a thin, nail-like weapon from her cloak. The kingsmoulds guarding the doorway bristled, but the Prince held up a hand to tell them to stay put. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps that sort of game is best played at home? We have nothing to hunt here, anyway," Ogrim offered, glancing anxiously at the kingsmoulds. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion in the garden?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The group started down the hallway, with Ogrim leading the way to the courtyard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's a garden?" Hornet asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A place where plants are grown," the Prince explained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh. What's the hand thingy for 'garden'?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince showed her as they walked, and she did her best to recreate the gesture.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, they reached the courtyard garden quickly. Hornet had seemed incredibly anxious to move around since the moment she had arrived at the palace, and the moment she entered the garden, she bolted. She ran around the entire perimeter in a flash, giggling to herself. Ogrim and the Prince barely had time to make chase before she looped around to back where she had started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's so big! No wonder you can't hunt here, any creature would see you coming," she exclaimed, twirling around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You would be surprised, madam," Ogrim said proudly. "There are plenty of places to hide! Would you like me to prove it to you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet’s face lit up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"All you have to do is give me a moment to get properly hidden," he explained. "Face the wall and count to thirty, and the Prince can make sure you don't peek!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet giggled, nodding eagerly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No cheating, my Prince," Ogrim joked, giving a quick bow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Hornet was facing the wall, unable to see the garden, she started counting aloud. When the Prince wasn't looking, Ogrim disappeared. They weren't sure how he'd vanished so quickly, as they'd only looked down at Hornet for a second.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She soon reached thirty, and spun around from the wall to see an empty garden. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you see where he went?" Hornet asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince shook their head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet hummed in though for a moment, before hopping up into the air and scaling the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stirellus gasped loudly in surprise, nearly toppling backward as she scampered up the wall in search of a better vantage point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince watched her survey the area for a moment, before she slid back down to the ground. They could see a thin, wispy thread connecting her to her previous spot on the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, as quickly as she’d climbed the wall, she was off scampering into the bushes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince followed as Hornet darted in and out of the shrubbery with practiced persistence. She was methodical, checking in every possible spot as she moved across the garden, ducking directly through minute gaps in the hedges that the Prince couldn't possibly fit through. For someone so small, she was incredibly fast, and the Prince had the added challenge of not being able to use her shortcuts. They could hear Stirellus panting as he did his best to keep up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Aha!" Hornet finally declared from within a large patch of tall, large-leafed plants. Bending down and shoving leaves aside, the Prince found their sister, standing proudly over a patch of what looked like regular soil. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Found you!" She stomped one foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ground rumbled slightly, and Ogrim emerged from the soil. He sat halfway out of the hole in the dirt with most of his body below ground, his arms resting on the surface.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There had been no indication that he'd been down there, it seemed, at least to the Prince.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well done!" Ogrim laughed. "Your mother has taught you well!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The dirt was disturbed," Hornet said matter-of-factly. "It’s the same thing the dirtcarvers do."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why don't we have someone else try hiding from you, then?" Ogrim suggested, pushing the leaves above him aside so that he could emerge fully. "Perhaps the Prince? It is their job to ensure that you're entertained, after all!" He winked playfully, and led the way out back onto the path.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet dashed out and looked up at her sibling eagerly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Give me more than a count of 30" they signed, with a winded Stirellus translating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can go as high as fifty," Hornet said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince nodded in agreement. Fifty seconds wasn't long, but they had an idea. They told Stirellus to stay by the shrub until they were found, and quickly took off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They knew Hornet's strategy now. If their father and the Knights had taught them one thing, it was that it was important to anticipate an enemy's movements. That was for battle, of course, but if Hornet was treating this like a real hunt, the Prince was going to pull out all the stops.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was one plant in the garden, a gnarled old shellwood tree, that would be perfect to execute their plan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The tree was an odd shape; Isma had been pruning it and training it since the King had given her free reign of the courtyard centuries ago. It had long, twisting branches in some areas, which had been stripped of bark to create a stark white contrast to the thick patches of dark leaves. There was one such section that was near the bottom, but off the ground enough to be above Hornet's head. They had seen Ogrim sit on that branch before, and they knew full well that they weighed less than him, thus the branch would hold their weight. They climbed up quickly and tucked their body in amongst the leaves. As expected, their massive horns stuck out from the foliage. That was part of their camouflage though: they would tilt their head so that their horns followed the sweeping shape of the dead sections of wood, hopefully blending in enough with the branches to hide from their little sister.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fifty!" Hornet called out, to announce that she'd finished counting. The Prince listened intently to the sound of her scampering up the courtyard wall again, and then back down. They heard her footsteps and Ogrim's come closer, and then turn away. Hornet was likely weaving in and out of the low shrubbery again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Success, at least for now, the Prince decided. They waited, remaining silent and still, as they listened. Hornet sounded like she'd covered the entire courtyard now, and was now stopped in the middle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think they're cheating," they heard Hornet huff. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nonsense! The Prince is far better at hiding than I," Ogrim laughed. "I haven't a clue where they went, honestly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I-If I may, I believe I saw them-" Stirellus was cut off abruptly by Hornet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No no! Just because they're cheating doesn't mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> can!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ogrim chuckled again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Very noble, child! What's our next move, then?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince heard Hornet hum thoughtfully, and then silence. They were tempted to peak, but any movement would give away their position. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It turned out to not be necessary though, as after a brief moment of silence, the sound of fast little footsteps approached. Then, in an instant, Hornet was perched on the Prince's head, right between their horns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Found you!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ogrim's booming laugh rang out through the courtyard, and the Prince couldn't help but give a chuckle of their own as they climbed out of the foliage. Hornet stood proudly on their head as they did, the sight of which only served to make Ogrim laugh harder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even Stirellus looked like he was holding back laughter, and Hornet beamed with pride as she hopped effortlessly back onto the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Very well done!" Ogrim said proudly. "I don't suppose we should have our retainer friend hide next?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"U-Uhm, I-" Stirellus was clearly at a loss for words. All work and no play, as most of the palace staff were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's time for lunch," the Prince signed, and Stirellus was more than happy to translate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet groaned, but went along anyway as Ogrim led the way to the dining hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hall was immense, with vaulted ceilings and rows of tables. The Knights and any visiting nobility would eat their meals here, as the King and Queen didn't require food. They would still eat on occasion, usually when there were guests, but the room went largely unused. The retainers also ate their meals there, as it was the closest room to the kitchen, but they ate in shifts after the meals for the Knights and the court were finished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the center of the room, two tables had been set: one was the Knights' table, and one had been set up for Hornet, who had shrunken in closer to the Prince upon seeing the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is everything alright?" They signed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't like it in here," she said quietly. “It's too open, too bright..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was true, Deepnest was a dark, cramped place. The palace as a whole was entirely the opposite, but this room felt especially large and empty. Even the courtyard garden had been full of places to hide, but the dining hall was almost barren in comparison. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Perhaps you would like to meet my comrades? Our usual meal times coincide with the schedule your mother gave us," Ogrim offered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded, still staying close to the Prince, as the group made their way to the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if on cue, the rest of the Knights came through the door almost as soon as Hornet was seated. Ogrim waved them over, and explained that they’d be eating with the Prince and their guest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stirellus squawked in protest when Ogrim pushed the Knights' table over to connect to Hornet's, but the Prince discreetly gave him the order to let it slide this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Knights, of course, were more than happy to meet the King's other child. Even Ze'mer's partner, who had come along, was interested in meeting her. The Prince felt that jealous feeling well up inside them upon seeing her, and they made a point of sitting next to Ogrim. Having him around had made them feel better last time, so they hoped it would again. Hornet sat on their other side, and Isma took her usual spot across from Ogrim. Hegemol sat next to Hornet, and almost immediately began telling her a story about Deepnest before he'd even introduced himself. Thankfully, this combined with the presence of more people seemed to ease Hornet's anxiety a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the food was brought out, though, she was back to her normal self, scarfing down her food aggressively. The Prince quietly slid their plate to Stirellus, who grumbled something about breaking </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> rules, before eating what had been given to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet's plate was different from the others', the Prince noticed. Everyone else at the table had a mix of meat and plants, but Hornet's dish was entirely meat. They supposed it was another odd thing about Deepnest. It must be quite a place, even Cladonia the Wise hadn't ventured far. Perhaps they should ask about it later?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once everyone had finished eating, Hornet was eager to get back to playing games. The Prince, Ogrim, and Hornet bid farewell to the Knights, before setting off to the courtyard again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hide and seek got old eventually, but Hornet showed no sign of tiring. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No wonder her mother had her hunting beasts</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the Prince thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It must be the only way to get all of her energy out!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The new “game” they settled on involved simply chasing her around. She was too quick for Ogrim, but the Prince was able to keep pace with her. Once they caught her, she would have a turn chasing them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once that grew boring for the little bug, she wanted to explore the palace. She was barred from entering certain places by their father's orders, and it was hard to keep her reigned in. She asked question after question, and Ogrim and the Prince did their best to answer. Even Stirellus chimed in a few times, when she asked about the royal retainers. Finally, dinner hour rolled around, and the group ended up eating with the Knights again. Again, Hornet scarfed her food down almost immediately, and used the opportunity to tell some stories of her own. The more she said about Deepnest, the less the Prince wanted to visit after all. Every corner of the place sounded lethal, aside from the village where Hornet resided with her mother and their people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After dinner, Hornet finally started to slow down. Within a few hours, she was ready to crawl into bed, so the Prince and Ogrim showed her to her room. She promptly curled up in bed and conked out, exhausted the day’s activities. Satisfied with that, they let her be for the evening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think father was exaggerating when he told me about her," the Prince signed to Ogrim. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He's prone to doing so when he's worried," Ogrim said, "but don't tell him I said that!" He gave a playful wink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince laughed again, but caught themself when Stirellus cleared his throat. That was the cue he gave when he wanted the Prince to watch their etiquette. They couldn't help it though, there was just something about Ogrim that made them want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>laugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They hoped that soon Ogrim would learn more handspeak, so that they could be alone together without Stirellus. The Prince liked their interpreter, but he was a stickler for the rules Lurien had been drilling into them. They knew that retainers in general were rather uptight, but it was beginning to get a bit old.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He wanted me to help keep her safe, even though there's nothing that can hurt her here," Ogrim continued. "I will do my duty, though, of course. Besides, I've been enjoying myself!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As have I," the Prince signed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"With our guest asleep, I believe the Prince has some studies to attend to in the Watcher's absence," Stirellus piped up once he'd finished translating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, of course! I shall see you both at breakfast, then," Ogrim bowed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince bid him goodnight, and headed back to their bed chamber.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They said nothing to Stirellus on the way there. Usually they had questions to ask or comments to make, but tonight, they were... </span>
  <em>
    <span>upset</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him? This feeling was new, it felt hot and sour and unpleasant. They had wanted to spend more time chatting with Ogrim, but Stirellus had seemed in a hurry to separate them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Please do remember your status, my Prince," Stirellus said once they were out of earshot of Ogrim. "While the Knights are respected members of the Pale Court, you are still above them as the Prince of Hallownest."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That means I'm above you, too,</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Prince thought. They stayed silent though, not acknowledging Stirellus' words at all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If I'm so important, why can I not do as I please?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon reaching their bedchamber, the Prince dismissed Stirellus immediately and closed the door on him before he could respond. They heard his indignant huff from outside, and then the sound of his footsteps moving away down the hall. That was a relief, at least, but they still felt prickly and irritable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn't want to look at any of the work Lurien had left them, they didn't even want to take a bath. They just flopped down into bed, not even bothering to take off their armor, and did their best to fall asleep.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry for the hiatus college is a fuck. anyway here's this</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Prince was awoken the next morning by frantic pounding on their door. They rose quickly, sore from sleeping in their armor, to find a panicked Stirellus waiting for them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hornet is missing," he managed to squeak out. "The King is going to have our heads if we-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince held up a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. It was worrying, yes, but Hornet was clearly more than capable of keeping herself safe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll look for her," they signed, doing their best to remain calm. "Where is Ogrim?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Already searching," Stirellus took a deep breath. "He and the Knights are searching the courtyards." The Prince nodded quickly and took off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first place they thought to look was the library. It was a maze of shelves and filled with all sorts of different things to read, but when they arrived, a retainer by the door said that the whole room had already been searched. From there, they tried the storage rooms, the kitchen, and all of the balconies and raised walkways. Still nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next, they headed for the lower levels of the palace. Hornet had been told not to go down there, but it seemed that there was nowhere else she could be. Ogrim, who by now had come inside from the courtyard, had apparently had the same thought. When the Prince found him exiting the dungeon, he simply shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hegemol and I are going to check outside. She may be somewhere in the basin," Ogrim said. He was clearly shaken up, and understandably so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There wasn't much else in this area of the palace, save for the King's workshop. The Prince pointed to themself, and then in the direction of the workshop, doing their best to get the point across quickly without Stirellus there. Thankfully, Ogrim understood, and the two hurried off in separate directions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince's strides were long and quick, and they reached the workshop in no time. Swinging the door open, the sight of a red cloak made them exhale a sigh of relief. Hornet was unscathed, at the very least. She was, however, in a lot of trouble. She was poking through the tools and such on the workbench when she looked up to see the Prince.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hi, Silver," she said, innocent and playful. "I couldn't sleep."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince was confused for a moment. The name "Silver" was a novel shortening of their title, and it was certainly a lot less stuffy than "the Prince". It was a good name, they decided, but they didn't have time to dwell on it. They were... Angry? That was the emotion, yes. Hornet had been told that this area was off limits, and yet here she was, in what was the most off-limits area in the whole palace. Their father came here when he did not want to be disturbed, and the whole palace knew not to enter unless invited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was lucky he hadn't been in there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince - or "Silver", they supposed - pulled out their emergency parchment and quill and quickly wrote down a message for Hornet. They'd taken off without Stirellus, who was now probably floundering trying to find them both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet squinted at the paper. She could read, but not very fast. "This room is off limits," she read aloud slowly, as Silver reached down to pick her up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Indeed it is," came a stern voice from behind them, causing them to jump. For such a short bug, the Pale King was imposing when he wanted to be. His ambient glow flickered angrily as he eyed the siblings up and down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My child," he continued, his voice taking on a tone that made Silver shudder. "You were instructed to keep your sister away from this area, were you not?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before they could defend themself, the King waved a hand to conjure a soul dagger which he flung out the door and into the wall of the corridor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"To your rooms, both of you. Now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver dashed out the door, clutching Hornet to their chest as they ran. She squirmed in their grip, and said something, but they could only hear the anger in their father's voice echoing in their head. It hadn't even been their fault, Hornet's door was to be guarded while the rest of the palace slept. They certainly hadn't brought her there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blessedly, they ran into Ogrim and Stirellus on their way upstairs. They both looked relieved to see Hornet safe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Father's sent us to our rooms," they signed quickly. Stirellus barely had time to translate before Silver dashed off again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were faintly aware of Stirellus following, but ignored him. The poor bug's legs were too short to effectively keep up, anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Prince set Hornet down inside her guest room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Silver, why was father so angry?" she asked. "It's just a room full of weird junk."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They shook their head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They wrote down a note quickly, as Stirellus was still making his way up the last flight of stairs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You have to go to your room, too?" Hornet asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver nodded, and patted her on the head gently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay. If he yells at you again, I'll hit him with my needle!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They shook their head and waved a goodbye, before shutting the door and heading down the hall to their room. They shut the door behind them and flopped onto the bed again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They could hear Stirellus panting outside. He knocked on the door once he'd caught his breath, but Silver ignored him. They wanted to yell, to say one of the words they'd heard Dryya say once, that they'd been told never to repeat. Instead, they grabbed their nail from its place on the wall, and headed down into the hotspring room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were statues down there, which Silver had never cared for anyway, which they swung their nail at. Feeling something crumble against their blade made them feel better, for a moment. They tried to put names to their emotions. There had been fear, which had turned to anger. Now, though, they just felt empty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking at the crumbled stone made it worse, so they headed back to their main bedroom. They tossed the nail on the floor before removing their armor and dropping that beside it. Then, they crawled into bed. They'd just lay here until the moment passed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they dozed off, exhausted from the flurry of emotion. Nobody had ever been that angry at them before, and especially not their father. When they awoke, it was due to more frantic knocking at the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My prince?" Stirellus called. "The King would like to speak with you, if you would please-" He squawked mid-sentence, presumably as the King pushed past him to open the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver hurriedly shoved their discarded nail and armor under the bed, and stood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Your services will not be needed, retainer," the Pale King said calmly, shutting the door in Stirellus' face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My child, I must apologize for my earlier behavior," he began. "Ogrim explained to me the situation, and confessed that it was his fault that Hornet went missing."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ogrim's fault? He hadn't been on duty when Hornet had snuck out. Kingsmoulds had been supposed to guard her until breakfast, while Ogrim slept. Silver began to try to explain, but the King cut them off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As such, the task of protecting Hornet during her stay here has been given to Dryya instead. I expect that there will be no further incident."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver didn't know what to say. They just stared for a moment, confused, as their father left the room. Stirellus bowed to him as he passed, and stopped Silver as they went to follow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dryya was waiting there now too, standing at attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My Prince," she said with a bow. "I am honoured to be serving you and the Princess of Deepnest." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Great. She was going to insist on being stuffy to prevent further incident, it seemed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you, Dryya," they signed politely. As always, Stirellus translated for them. "Where is Hornet now?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Her room, my Prince. Dinner shall be ready soon, shall we retrieve her?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver nodded, which earned a quiet huff from Stirellus, and the three headed toward Hornet's room down the hall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You can relax, you know," they signed. Stirellus changed their wording to be more "proper", earning him a sharp glare. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have been given an order from our King, and I will dutifully obey until I am dismissed."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dinner was mostly quiet that night. Ogrim wasn't present, and Hegemol has said that he was preparing for a trip to a nearby village. Apparently the bugs there had been hit extra hard by the infection, and a guarded shipment of supplies was to be sent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After dinner, Hornet mainly wanted to stay with Silver. They dismissed Stirellus, opting to pass notes instead, and headed to their room. Thankfully, Dryya agreed to stand outside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why do I have to stay out of that room?" Hornet asked. Silver wrote out an explanation as plainly as they could. It was their father's workshop, and he got upset when anyone went inside without permission. There were things in there that could harm a young bug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh," Hornet looked down at her feet, which she was dangling off the balcony. "I mostly just wanted to see him. Mother said I would be visiting him, but he's barely said anything to me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver gently lifted her up and placed her on their lap. She huffed in protest, but made little effort to move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their next note for Hornet to read was... Excuses, admittedly. They didn't have the heart to explain fully, nor did they think Hornet would understand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Our father is very busy running the kingdom," it read. "He never has much time for me, either."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hornet hummed for a moment after she read that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Maybe you should come visit Deepnest," she offered. "Mother doesn't invite many guests, but I'm the princess, so I should get to invite guests too!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silver let out a soft laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'd like that," said their next note. "Do you know how to write?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Midwife is teaching me," Hornet said proudly. Silver wasn't sure who that was, but assumed Midwife had a similar role to Lurien. "You can meet her, too! I'll make sure she doesn't eat you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Maybe not so much like Lurien, then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made the decision to ignore the whole "eating" thing, and wrote their next note. Hornet wiggled excitedly in their lap when she read it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I've never gotten mail before! It sounds like fun!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That settled it, then. The siblings would write letters back and forth once Hornet went home. It gave them a chance to talk to someone without Stirellus' help, and they'd be able to learn about new lands. For Hornet, she had quickly grown attached to her sibling. It would help her get better at reading and writing if she was eager to practice, too. Silver could already tell that she was a smart bug. She'd recounted how she'd gotten onto the balcony in her room, climbed over to a walkway overlooking the courtyard, and from there she'd gained free reign of the palace. She'd avoided all patrolling kingsmoulds and retainers on night shifts with her keen instincts, and had found their father's favorite hiding place quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being as young as she was, though, the excitement of the day soon caught up to her. Silver carried her out into the hall, where Dryya was waiting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"There is a kingsmould stationed on your balcony, and its doors are locked, Princess," she said, giving a small bow. Hornet grumbled sleepily. She was already beginning to doze off, though, and didn't protest when she was tucked gently into her bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Hornet was safely in bed, Dryya bid her Prince goodnight as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While they liked all the Knights, and their sister, it felt good to be alone somewhere quiet. They debated taking a bath, but then remembered the statues from earlier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They weren't especially tired, they decided, and pulled the cord on the wall to summon a retainer. Thankfully, it wasn't Stirellus who arrived. They gave the retainer a note, asking for their hotspring to be cleaned immediately. They also requested that nobody aside from the cleaning staff were to hear of the mess. With a bow, the retainer trotted off into the hotspring room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She came back up after a moment to assess the damage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"May I recruit a few additional staff to aid in the cleaning and repair, my Prince?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They nodded, and watched her scurry off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While she was gone, they retrieved the items that they'd kicked under the bed earlier. They hung their nail on its spot on the wall, and placed their armor back on its stand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Within a few moments, two more retainers arrived with the first, accompanied by two smaller, rounder bugs. They wore hard caps on their heads and no cloaks, and each carried a small box. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Menderbugs, my Prince. They specialize in construction and repair."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boxes must be full of tools then, they guessed. They gave the retainer a nod and she went off to help her fellows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bugs were done surprisingly fast. The five of them finished cleaning in a matter of minutes, and as they left, each one bowed to the Prince. Finally alone again, they crept into the hotspring room. Sure enough, it looked as though their outburst from earlier had never happened. They gave a silent sigh of relief as they slid into the bath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things were going to be strange without Ogrim around. They hoped he’d be back soon, but they weren’t sure how far it was to get to the village he was going to, nor how long the journey would take. They wanted to explore the kingdom, they decided. They wanted to see Lurien’s city, and Hornet’s home in Deepnest, the villages scattered throughout the land. They wanted to see how other bugs lived, and what plants grew in those places. They wanted to see the beasts the meat they ate came from. Perhaps when Hornet went home, and their father calmed down, they would ask him. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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